Wean update

So the wean is a work in progress. Doing a wean at home without the structure and assistance of a program is very hard. It's a fight to do so many oral feedings, plus fit in all our other therapy sessions and a little daily living as well! But we are making progress.  He used to refuse any food at all in the mornings but now he eats breakfast every day. Sometimes I am seeing him eat food more quickly than I have ever seen before. He has show incredible potential but in general, this wean is going to be a marathon and not a sprint.

I can't even tell you how much food I have wasted. One day we will have a great feeding session with a certain food and the next time that food is offered he won't touch it. However, there are some constant favorites: peaches, strawberries, and Honey Nut Cheerios. Everything else is a toss up; he might eat it and he might not.

Thank god for Duocal! It's a "powdered energy source containing a blend of carbohydrate and fat." There are 25 calories in one little scoop of this powder and it blend into almost any food without changing the taste. Duocal has really added some caloric impact to the small amounts of food Tom takes orally.

Working on some grilled cheese

We are doing about five feeding sessions in the high chair per day with other food around constantly. He starts the morning with a bolus of juice or milk and then has breakfast in his highchair about 45 minutes later. Sometime around mid-afternoon or dinner time I give him another bolus of juice or milk to make sure he is well hydrated. Then he gets eight ounces of Neocate Splash before bed which has 240 calories. Thomas is averaging about 500 calories just from the liquids he is getting daily which helps us  meet his 800 calorie goal.

Tube free by September...maybe?