My husband and I are officially off the "young family" list. Our oldest baby is now a (gasp) teenager! She loves to read. Her favorite book right now is called "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Since we have been starving our baby to get her off her feeding tube (before you call Child Protective Services, read the rest of the post), Edd has dubbed Ellie's new feeding regime our version of the Hunger Games.
We are on day 22 of "the games." About a month and a half ago, we fasted as a family that we would be able to get Ellie to eat on her own. She received a priesthood blessing from my hubby and our home teacher and...nothing happened. She didn't even start eating better! Of course, "God helps those who help themselves." So, I felt that I needed to find something to help her. Another heart mommy just happened to be dealing with the same problems that we were (coincidence--I don't think so). She put me in touch with a medical professional in Australia that was helping her baby learn to eat with information sent via email. Mrs. B. got us set up on a program in which we offered Ellie all her food orally, and just tube fed enough to keep her hydrated. The hope was that when Ellie got hungry enough (which she hadn't before because everything she needed was pumped into her), she would eat! It didn't go very well at first and Ellie lost over a pound. Now, just over 3 weeks later, she is drinking about 20 oz. of milk a day from a cup, and is starting to chew and swallow a variety of solid foods! Ellie has gained back a whopping 4 oz. Hopefully that will continue to increase along with the volume of food she eats. Progress is slow, but it is progress! Ellie has not been tube fed for a week and a half. I have to admit that she is surviving on milk, cheese puffs, and chocolate (with some other real food thrown in in rather small amounts). Don't tell her pediatrician! We are grateful for the steps Ellie is making. So, onward and upward (hopefully in Ellie's weight) to day 23...
