The difference of 77 days.

"Is Max eating anything yet?"

We've heard this a lot over the last few months. It was the hot topic before we left the NICU and it's become of even more interest since we've been home. Really, no one wants Max to eat more than we do. The g-tube affords us the luxury of having Max home with us, but it is no walk in the park and comes with its own set of complications. We want him to eat as soon as he is able.

We knew he wasn't ready when we brought him home though - that's why he had the g-tube placed, after all. We've spent a lot of time working with him to overcome his oral aversion, mostly in the way of desensitizing his mouth and getting him used to the sensation of having non-painful things happen in and around his mouth. Our efforts, combined with his own (Max is currently incapable of holding anything in his hands without trying to shove it in his mouth) have been making great strides.

We were told it was likely that Max would skip the bottle stage altogether and move onto a spoon and cup when he was ready for oral feeds. Back in December when we first came home we were encouraged to try some rice cereal to see if a substance thicker than milk might make it easier for him to control, and thereby panic less. It didn't go so well, and it was pretty clear he wasn't developmentally ready for that step - after all he was only three months corrected at that time, which is three months earlier than they generally recommend introduction of solids. We decided to let it rest and concentrate on positive experiences until we felt he was ready again.

Recently Max has been showing signs that he might be capable of trying food again. On a whim I decided to offer Max 2 mLs of breast milk in a syringe. One drop at a time, he swallowed it down, waving his arms and grabbing for the syringe, sticking out his tongue. It took about 5 minutes to finish, but he swallowed it all, didn't panic, and didn't throw up. This might not seem like a big deal, but around here, it's a major win. We decided to throw caution to the wind and pick up another bag of whole grain rice cereal. We set out cautiously, but with high hopes. We were pretty thrilled with how Max took to it. He swallowed several spoons of cereal, without much fuss. No lies here, we were both holding back a few tears. A baby's first bite of solids is always a milestone to remember, but for us, it's a blinding ray of hope. We came home not knowing how long it might take to get Max to this point. Now, we're no fools - you don't make it through 6 months in the NICU without knowing a thing or two about how tiny the steps foward can be at times - but this is such a huge victory we can't help but celebrate.


Compare Max's first attempt at solids, with his second attempt, 77 days later!
Make sure you watch the first video until the end. It's a doozy.