Well we did it! Reflux has pushed us over the edge the last month or so. So today we got fed up with Wysdom gagging, throwing up, blowing bubbles out of his nose and being totally unhappy after or around his feeds. So we did it. We purchased a Vitamix and fed Wysdom real food via his g tube. It's called the blenderized diet.
We have been researching this and talking about it for a while. We even pitched it to our dietitian and our pediatrician last week and provided them with a package or information. They agreed that we could try it if we were followed by a dietitian. However when push came to shove I have been on the fence as of late. Don't get me wrong I believe in holistic food and nutrition very strongly, but when it comes to Wysdom I have always been a little apprehensive due to his complex medical history. I never want to put him in any harm. So today Julian gave me the little push to do it. Really we were both so tired of Wysdom's congestion and gagging. So I made the food in our new Vitamix. It's a high speed blender like no other. It's cost more than your average blender I am not going to lie, but it can blend any food into a smooth texture or liquid.It is more than a regular blender. Today he had butternut squash, blueberries, flax oil and a rice protein powder with vitamins. After mixing it it turned blue due to all of the blueberries...and I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it. Julian stepped it up and followed through. Guess what? Wysdom was fine. Really I don't know what I thought would happen. It went so well that we did the following feed of blended food instead of formula.
In order to do this right we have a lot more planning of meals and organization. (which is really hard when you are so busy) However we are going to try to do a blenderized feed or two everyday in hopes of reducing the reflux-/mucus/congestion and constipation cycle that we are in. (Trust me it's not fun). We are also hoping that this will help Wysdom get used to food. We hope that he will digest this food quicker and also get used to burping up real food and recognizing the taste. So wish us luck on our new exciting journey.
P.S. Big thanks to the blenderized diet yahoo group and a very special dietitian who got us started.
9 comments:
Congratulations Sasha. Isn't it so nice to know he is getting some real food? Good job at taking the leap, and good luck.
Good luck with the new diet!! It sounds interesting! Whatever makes our little ones happy:)
This is really interesting. We never have been given the green light for this, even in over 2 years of g-tubing. Probably mostly because we can't get this girl to gain weight without the hig cal formula stuff. Our nutritionist has given us some menus and recipes for things to make and mash for oral feeding, but the GI and nutritionist told us they don't ok general food through the tube due to tube malfunctions or something...who knows really. But I'll be watching to see how it goes for you guys. Hope it is the trick you need to be done with the reflux!!
Wishing you good luck, hoping it helps get his reflux under control.
I will have to agree!! They are so similar. Does Wysdom have the fundoplication?? I'm glad you are getting a sleep study done. I will let you know what changes when he gets his tonsils and adnoids out.
so glad you have figured out how to do this for Wysdom and I have a feeling this is going to help w/ the reflux! I know when Whitney had her ng tube and had AWFUL reflux I just had this feeling that formula was the cause and I figured out that she absolutely could not TOLERATE formula so I stopped adding powdered formula to breast milk (they wanted us to fortify for extra calories) and it made a HUGE difference for her to have only breast milk! I hope this give you all some much needed comfort/a break from the reflux!!!
I've considered the blenderized diet for the little man, even though he is gtube fed. I think it may help his growth. I hear that it's a good idea to start out slow:)
Best of luck with the new diet! I hope it helps, and I also hope you get to have a sleep study for him soon. It's so hard to wait around for what we know our kids need! We all deserve medical degrees after this, right? :) I'll be praying for you and Wysdom!
This sounds great! I really hope it works out and things improve.
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