Crackers, Pretzels, and Milk! Oh, my!
Hello! A lot of you have asked me for updates on Keegan's eating issues, so I thought I'd put out this mass update here. Like I warned, I never promised that my blogs would be exciting!
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...... Keegan was diagnosed with "failure to thrive" last year. Basically, it means he doesn't consume enough calories to grow like he should be and that's for 2 reasons: 1) He never started eating table foods 2) He eats very little in quantity when he does eat. He has major texture issues (sensory issues) and cannot stand the touch of most foods, even to the hands. He often 'freaks out' at even the sight of new foods on his plate. If this gives you an idea, he has never even eaten a Cheerio before. With that being said, for he longest time he lived only on crackers, pretzels, and milk. Oh, my! :)
We finally got into a therapy program for him and an occupational therapist now comes to our home weekly to spend time with him. She gets Keegan to play with food with his hands, which is a step closer to him possibly eating something. We have seen major improvements in the last couple of months. He has been more open to the sight of new foods on his plate, more open to sitting down at the table at mealtimes, more willing to touch foods with his hands, and has even tasted a variety of new foods. Some new foods he's tasted include bread (although he won't eat it again now), sunflower seeds, mini marshmallows, drinkable yogurt, and Cheeto puffs. These are all HUGE steps for us.
At his 2 1/2 year appt last week, he weighed in at 21 1/2 lbs. Both his weight & height are almost all the way stunted until we can get him to eat more. The concern was that his head size would be stunted next (which would impact brain development, etc). We believe that with these latest improvements, we are on the slow road to recovery and aren't too concerned about his head size.
We praise God for his therapy and new milestones. Thanks for everyone's concerns and encouragement! I'll try to use this blog to mention updates now and then whenever Keegan eats something exciting and new! :)
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...... Keegan was diagnosed with "failure to thrive" last year. Basically, it means he doesn't consume enough calories to grow like he should be and that's for 2 reasons: 1) He never started eating table foods 2) He eats very little in quantity when he does eat. He has major texture issues (sensory issues) and cannot stand the touch of most foods, even to the hands. He often 'freaks out' at even the sight of new foods on his plate. If this gives you an idea, he has never even eaten a Cheerio before. With that being said, for he longest time he lived only on crackers, pretzels, and milk. Oh, my! :)
We finally got into a therapy program for him and an occupational therapist now comes to our home weekly to spend time with him. She gets Keegan to play with food with his hands, which is a step closer to him possibly eating something. We have seen major improvements in the last couple of months. He has been more open to the sight of new foods on his plate, more open to sitting down at the table at mealtimes, more willing to touch foods with his hands, and has even tasted a variety of new foods. Some new foods he's tasted include bread (although he won't eat it again now), sunflower seeds, mini marshmallows, drinkable yogurt, and Cheeto puffs. These are all HUGE steps for us.
At his 2 1/2 year appt last week, he weighed in at 21 1/2 lbs. Both his weight & height are almost all the way stunted until we can get him to eat more. The concern was that his head size would be stunted next (which would impact brain development, etc). We believe that with these latest improvements, we are on the slow road to recovery and aren't too concerned about his head size.
We praise God for his therapy and new milestones. Thanks for everyone's concerns and encouragement! I'll try to use this blog to mention updates now and then whenever Keegan eats something exciting and new! :)
Here is a picture of Keegan during his food therapy:
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