MFB Therapy

Today I was unsure what to expect at therapy. Jordan had a great week...until yesterday. She drank around 20 oz per day of thickened Pediasure and seemed to be peeing a little bit more. However, yesterday she started sounding very wet and gurgly when drinking and coughing lots during and following her bottles. Well, she weighed in at 14lbs. 14 oz. which is a good gain! However trying to figure out how and what to feed that little girl was a challenge!

Ellen and Deb worked together and tried the thickness we have been using with the Y-cut nipple (what we have been using) and she again, sounded very wet with it. They thickened the Pediasure even more (it was VERY thick!!) and used the Y-cut nipple - it was so thick that she was no longer wet sounding but it required way too much effort on Jordan's part and she fatigued very quickly (only after a few sips) and didn't want anymore. Finally, we tried going back to the original thickness (somewhere between honey and pudding) and used a stage 3 nipple. Ellen also let her suck on it like a regular bottle taking a break after a minute or so to give her a chance to clear anything. This seemed to work for her. If she has any problems after trying this, I will just spoon feed her the Pediasure.

Jane the nutritionist and Jane the dietitian both decided that in order to give Jordan the nutrition and hydration her body needs we need to stop thickening with pudding/applesauce/rice cereal. They want her to get more Pediasure and less other stuff. They want me to start using "Simply Thick" a tasteless, calorie-free thickening gel. Unfortunately the stuff costs a ton!!! A case of 100 packets is available at Gordan Foods for approx $60. Although it seems like this would last a while, Jordan needs 3 packets for every 8 oz of Pediasure and she should be getting 3 bottles of Pediasure a day. This comes to about $5.50 a day or $165 per month!! Although it's not quite as expensive as the Pediasure, it's definitely a cost that we weren't planning on. I will check to see if WIC will cover this also.

We have another appointment with Ellen and Deb tomorrow morning so it will give us a chance to see what else we might need to do.