First off, we have been putting 1 tsp of Duocal in each bottle for the past five days or so. She seems to be tolerating that pretty well, but it's still something to use with caution. The good part about this fortifier is it is just that, a fortifier. It doesn't make the milk richer and it doesn't have a taste. It also dissolves very well. The bad part is, it is mostly cornstarch (a common allergen, and something my mom and I happen to be allergic to). But if she can handle a bit of it, then we will give this a whirl.
But something really exciting happened on Sunday morning. Ramsey decided to try a faster flow nipple with Gracie's bottle. We have been using #1 or #2 Avent nipples which are slow and medium flow. We try faster flow nipples periodically, but up until this point she hasn't been able to handle that and the milk would just spill out of her mouth. Well this time was different! Ramsey and Gracie came skipping (sorry, honey, but you did!) into our room to announce that she had taken 7.5 ounces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In like, three minutes!!! We used to count every ml and try and try with bottles for 30 minutes. This was totally miraculous!!!!! But we weren't sure if it was a fluke. How would her stomach react? She has never had that kind of volume so quickly. Well, apparently she handles it well because it is Tuesday and 7 oz at a time is the new "norm" around here. I think I am still in shock, honestly. We have been fighting and willing for this to happen! So all of those prayers, good thoughts, namaste, love (whatever you send out!) has been felt! It's like Gracie knows that tons of people are cheering her on :)
This morning I was very excited to share this news with our SLP and OT (we have in-home visits twice a week). They are pretty blown away and so excited! Our OT, who has been our biggest supporter, is really good about looking at the big picture. So while she celebrated this victory, she wanted to make sure that we have a general plan for the next four months which are huge developmentally (not to mention that Gracie will most likely be getting her trach out in March or April). So we talked through the general plans that Ramsey and I have discussed:
*Continue to offer her food but don't push it (hopefully her volume will increase)
*A very gradual increase in Duocal (if necessary)
*Begin to introduce formula after the holidays if my milk supply cannot keep up with Gracie's intake
I weighed Gracie on our scale here at home over the weekend. It's a bit hard to get a clear red because she is so wiggly, but it appears that she has already gained at least on ounce!! Take that, NG ubte!It is amazing how fast things change around here! But it just goes to show that if you listen to your child, support their development, have support yourself, and TRUST YOUR GUT then amazing things can happen!!