Elli graduated today from the feeding clinic! I've been told she was the fastest graduate ever from the program - in just under 4 weeks. :-) They gave her a graduation cap, played the graduation march, gave high fives, gave her a certificate of completion and a t-shirt, and even had cake!
In the 4 weeks she was at the clinic, she gained 25 ounces, grew 1/2 an inch, went from breastfeeding 7-8 times a day to being done nursing, and went from getting up 2-3 times at night to sleeping through the night. That is some phenomenal success!
Her current diet consists of a purees (chicken & mashed potates, pork & beans, chicken-broccoli-rice, green beans, carrots, pears, Yoplait Thick & Creamy Yogurt, bananas, & cottage cheese with blackberry preserves) and two foods with a gritty texture (pears & applesauce). Her liquid intake is entirely whole milk mixed with Carnation Instant Breakfast. In the coming months, we will be adding new foods to her diet, and then slowly adding more textures (starting with more gritty foods). Given that she currently eats like a typical 6-month old infant, I anticipate that we are looking at a good 6-12 months before she will approach anything near an age-appropriate diet. For a significant period of time (I'm guessing 3-6 months at least), we will be following a strict protocol and fairly strict feeding schedule, to ensure that we maintain the weight gains and new feeding skills. So, we still have a long road ahead of us, but we've made a great start along that road!
We are so thankful - for the feeding clinic and the wonderful team there that worked with us, for all of you that have supported us during this entire process, for the new friends that we made at the clinic, and for the many ways that God answered prayer. We are truly blessed!
1 comment:
Can't even tell you how excited I am for you! God showed up just like we knew he could and would! And did it in a way that went beyond our wildest dreams and imagination! Thank you Lord! Now let's start planning our night out!!
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