videos of Gracie eating (done eating) and playing, a typed up chart with her "stats" etc. She acknowledged that Gracie is currently spot-on developmentally, but she is worried about her long-term development as a result of this lack of weight gain. She doesn't even care so much that she is on the growth chart necessarily, but that she gains weight steadily. As I said, Gracie did gain 10 oz recently making her about 15lbs, but has plateaued again and the doctor made a comparison to her adopted son from a Chinese orphanage who was malnourished and now is a bit "slow" with some learning. Ummm, not an accurate comparison!! But she scared me to death... (I DID ask her-" what about the developmental skill of EATING??" to which she had no answer...)
We desperately want Gracie to gain weight, but I just do not believe in my heart that a feeding tube is the answer as her weight plateau began while she was still being tube fed. I broke down in tears in the office which is when the doc really started listening. After hearing more about Gracie's feeding patterns, she started to suspect delayed gastric emptying. Maybe this is the key? Gracie is physically capable of drinking a 7oz bottle, she just doesn't do it consistently. So I made a bunch of appointments today- one with a new GI specialist with Phoenix Children's Hospital as well as an appointment with a naturopathic pediatrician so we can explore this further.
At first our pediatrician said that if it were her child, she would put the tube back in, but by the end of the appointment she thought that we should wait a few weeks to see if Gracie gains weight. Hmmm... I have noticed an increased interest in solid foods since she started taking an iron supplement, but she still only eats 1-2 TBSP of food/day and drinks an average of 23oz/day. I feel like we are waiting around for these numbers to magically increase, but none of the docs actually know how to facilitate this! And if that tube goes back in, she will stop eating with her mouth. The only thing keeping me from a complete meltdown is the fact that she has gained at least a little weight, but more importantly, has not lost weight. And the bottom line is, we have exhausted our pediatrician's knowledge on this topic. Our previous GI doc moved out of town, so it is the perfect opportunity for a second opinion. So, Dear Santa- all I want for Christmas if for Gracie to be happy and healthy.
Oh boy, I am ready for a Christmas miracle! I am pretty well spent here, mentally and emotionally. We just got back from a follow-up with the pediatrician and she expressed great concern over the fact that Gracie has only gained about 12 oz in the last three months (most of which was between Thanksgiving weekend and now). Ramsey and I went prepared with alternative growth charts, We desperately want Gracie to gain weight, but I just do not believe in my heart that a feeding tube is the answer as her weight plateau began while she was still being tube fed. I broke down in tears in the office which is when the doc really started listening. After hearing more about Gracie's feeding patterns, she started to suspect delayed gastric emptying. Maybe this is the key? Gracie is physically capable of drinking a 7oz bottle, she just doesn't do it consistently. So I made a bunch of appointments today- one with a new GI specialist with Phoenix Children's Hospital as well as an appointment with a naturopathic pediatrician so we can explore this further.
At first our pediatrician said that if it were her child, she would put the tube back in, but by the end of the appointment she thought that we should wait a few weeks to see if Gracie gains weight. Hmmm... I have noticed an increased interest in solid foods since she started taking an iron supplement, but she still only eats 1-2 TBSP of food/day and drinks an average of 23oz/day. I feel like we are waiting around for these numbers to magically increase, but none of the docs actually know how to facilitate this! And if that tube goes back in, she will stop eating with her mouth. The only thing keeping me from a complete meltdown is the fact that she has gained at least a little weight, but more importantly, has not lost weight. And the bottom line is, we have exhausted our pediatrician's knowledge on this topic. Our previous GI doc moved out of town, so it is the perfect opportunity for a second opinion. So, Dear Santa- all I want for Christmas if for Gracie to be happy and healthy.