Emmalene has been struggling with a feeding/swallowing issue from birth. As she has gotten older, that issue has rolled over into textured/table foods. After being monitored by her pediatrician for months, she was sent to All Children's Hospital in St. Pete for a swallowing study. The test was negative for blockages, thankfully, but did warrant further therapy.
We were then referred to a speech therapist for weekly sessions. Basically, the therapist taught us ways to "trick" her into eating textured foods and move into stage 3 baby food. After a couple of weeks, she was given more samples. There were many days that felt like we were not making progress and she she'd surprise us and eat something without gagging and well...I'll leave the other details out! Anyway, things are progressing very well.
At this time, Emmalene is doing great. She's completely off stage 3 baby food. Eating more of the "toddler" meals and lots more table foods. She has tried pickles, ice cream, sweet potato homemade fries, and lots more. Last week, she ate half of a chicken nugget! That was a huge moment since she dislikes meat (something her father finds completely foreign!). With every step, we cheer and make lots of noise with her accomplishments.
These photos show Emmalene trying a lollipop for the first time. With someone watching her (because of the possibility of biting the candy and it becoming a choking hazard), she climbed up on Daddy's lap and one taste got her hooked! This became one of her favorites.
As of today, we're no longer traveling to Lakeland for weekly sessions. We are now on biweekly telephone sessions with the possibility of being discharged next month.
No comments:
Post a Comment