Food for Thought (reposted from his caringbridge)

One of my current battles with Silas's healthcare team right now is whether or not to introduce him to solids. His physicians suggest it is important because he has had delays. But after talking to other moms who have babies and children with microcephaly, there are some unique concerns for Silas

When Silas progressed from bottle feeding, it was not a perfect transition, but we were grateful to be past the ng tube and syringe feedings. We were assured he would become more efficient and proficient as he got used to the bottles, but he never did. He would drool milk out one side of his mouth. He made an awful clicking sound while bottlefeeding, and he drifted to sleep before the bottles were finished. It was all these signs that led us to Kacey Trout, the Occupational Therapist who noticed his lip ties and possible tongue tie. She gave us homework to improve the tightness in his lips and allow for a wider latch on the bottle. It worked, sort of, but he still had other struggles with his bottles. The sleepy feeding concerned me most

About 4 weeks after his bottle strike, which led to us learning to breastfeed, I left him with a bottle for family and went somewhere for a bit. My phone rang and I ended up having to go get him. He wouldn't take the bottle. At first we thought it was preference, but as I tried once a week for the next 4 weeks, it became quite apparent that not only did my son struggle with bottlefeeding still, but worse he had honestly forgotten the proper motions for his tongue. He didn't know what to do with that thing in his mouth! This is called regression

What am I getting at here? Because of Silas having a history of feeding difficulties and regressing and losing skills he is no longer using, starting solids could be very tricky. Many of the moms with children who have microcephaly said their children did not have an easy transition and struggled to learn to feed. Some even required feeding tubes because they could not take in full nutrition by mouth.

So, because I want to preserve breastfeeding for Silas, as it is the most nutritionally sound for the first year of life, I am taking the path of least resistance. I will not offer my son any solid foods unless he gives me cues that he desires them (picking them off my plate, mouthing them, etc). Silas and I will continue our feeding relationship and work on developmental milestones like holding a spoon, pincer grasp, and other food-related milestones in other ways. The goal will be to make it to 1 year before solid food becomes an important part of his life. This approach will offer Silas the easiest path to success in beginning solids and remove some of the worry from me over possible regression.