The Long Road to Self Feeding

As we sit here on this beautiful September morning at our favorite local breakfast eatery, waiting for Graci's pancakes and fruit to arrive, we smile. The only worry is whether or not she will peel her attention away from the two year old friend she's just met at the next table.

"Hi Friend!" she says several times while waving. The gestures and silly giggles back and forth are only interupted by the occasional "Hi!" to new patrons and "Who zaat?" to us. The food shows up with the usual "Ooooooh!", which makes everyone smile and "Yummy, yummy, yummy!" upon the first taste. What did we ever do to deserve such a beautiful soul?

She starts with the fruit using her fork at first, but after a few missed banana attempts, she puts the fork down and uses her fingers. Mmmmmm... strawberries, bananas and blueberries! She loves them all. And while Mom is busy cutting up one of her kiddy pancakes, she picks up another and begins to take bites! "Babe... look at your daughter. She's never eaten anything quite like that!" Both of us quickly reaching for our phones to take pictures.

Hmmmm... maybe she's ready for a sandwich without it being cut into a hundred pieces? Currently, she eats lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but we are still cutting them into bite sized pieces that she can just pop one at a time into her mouth. Guess it's time to give her one half and see what she does with it!

How exciting to have these sorts of thoughts. For months and months the focus was "Will she ever eat?" and "Why won't she eat anything?" and the constant fear that she wasn't getting the nutrients that she needed. We often say Graci's feeding issues have been the most difficult part of the entire journey.

So what was all the fuss about? We just couldn't get her to bring food to her mouth. We couldn't get her to try new things. We were still spoon feeding her when

friends her own age were feeding themselves. It was heartbreaking, especially when she had done so well in everything else. It was comforting to learn that even typical kids sometimes have feeding issues and the percentage of special needs children needing therapy to aide in this area is quite high.

There are several reasons for a DS child to encounter feeding problems. Low muscle tone in their mouth and tongue makes it difficult to move food properly from one side to the other and makes eating exhausting; small and shallow roof of the mouth can leave little room for moving food; and even constipation issues make it very difficult to eat. It makes perfect sense really... it is difficult to put more food in when your tummy feels full.

Constipation was Graci's biggest feeding issue, with some low mouth muscle tone on the side. We didn't realize until the Occupational Therapist told us that Graci's constipation was holding her back from eating. We would put food in front of her and she had no desire to give it a taste. We would put food in her mouth and she would spit it out. In addition to having issues, she decided it would be fun to be very picky at the same time. This really is a terrible and most frustrating combination.

One of the things we noticed when trying to get Graci to pick up food and put it into her mouth was that when she was with someone other than "Mom", she seemed to try more. She was with Mom for meals 90+ percent of the time and may have made rebelling a bit of a game. When Grandma and Grandpa came to town to take care of Graci when her brother was born, Graci suddenly was tasting and trying almost everything!

If you are having feeding issues with your little angel, be sure to talk to your child's Pediatrician. They can recommend a feeding plan or will refer you to an Occupational Therapist. As with all issues, early intervention is key. Getting started early teaching your little one good feeding techniques will save you a lot of heartache in the long run. Also, if constipation is the issue, consider trying a teaspoon of NatraBurst mixed into your toddlers juice. (See Graci's NatraBurst Testimony at wwwGraciStorycom or in the left margin if you are reading this on the site)

Know that feeding issues too will pass. Your child will learn how to eat. It is just a matter or time and working with them to help them learn. We hope that by reading Graci's Story you will be inspired and even excited to know that indeed... things do get better.