Feeding Update
Greetings to everyone.
A quick update on Xavier's eating issues. The doctors scheduled a liver biopsy, a Nissan Procedure and the nasal feeding tube (all at the same time), then called us to let us know about it. We said no to all three, which did not set well with the surgeons. About a week later, we called and cancelled the GI tube surgery as well. None of this was the right path; it would have caused more harm and bigger problems, while solving none of the current problems.
In the last month and a half, Xavier has gained somewhere between one and a quarter and one and a half pounds! (Yes, shout Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus!).
It has not been an easy road; Xavier has had his first chest cold during this time, cut two more teeth, and is just getting over another respiratory infection. (This last infection has been a serious snot producer. Several times while using the blue booger sucker Rebecca has almost lost her stomach content, and I have gagged at what I saw at least once). We have also had to keep to a tighter feeding schedule. As Xavier took in more daily volume, his hunger to eat more increased. He started waking up two or three times a night wanting to be fed (again, shout Hallelujah!). When his nose and sinuses are unplugged, he sucks down 3.5 to 4 ounces at a time with extreme prejudice, especially in the afternoons! That, by the way, is up from his 1 to 1.5 and sometimes 2 ounces before, and that required vast effort to accomplish. We rarely need to swaddle him any more.
In this same six weeks, Xavier has gone from averaging 13 ounces (on a good day) to the high twenties. He even did a day recently where he took in (and kept down!) 35.5 ounces. It is still hard to baseline where he is at because the teething and two bouts of illness throw the numbers off, but we think when the last of the snot clears, he will be back to 30+ ounces a day (we can't say Hallelujah enough!)
He is a much happier baby, if you can believe that (he's always been happy, but now he is super-charged happy). We are much happier parents (even when we are up with him two or three times a night again). With his new surplus of energy, we are also having to relearn how to get him to go down for the evening.
What a difference a month makes! Thank you all for your prayers, they have a large part in bringing Xavier to this point. Dr. Abbey wants to bring Xavier in for a weight check next week. I'm hoping Xavier will clock in around 14.75 pounds. That's so doable from where we sit today.
We still are having problems getting Xavier to eat from a spoon and to accept a tooth brush. He is getting less guarded about his mouth, but there is still much work there, it seems. We are hoping the OT and the speech therapist will be able to make great strides in this area.