Ask:
Hello ladies! I hope everyone is doing super great...
My Lily has just started solid foods about a month ago and she has struggled with it from the start. She gags and coughs when she tries to swallow no matter the consistency of the food or what the food is. So anyways she has been sick again with bronchitis and has been into the doc all week and I brought this up and her doc said if she is not eating her solid foods 100 times better by her 9 month check up ( June 12 ) she will need to go to a speech therapist to learn to swallow. Has anyone heard of this or what they do to work on it?
Thanks for any info you can offer!
Answer:
As a neuro nurse I worked some with patients that were brain damaged or had strokes that caused them to have swallowing problems. I know this isn't your dd's problems, but just wanted to say that the speech therapists worked with our patients and were very helpful teaching them to swallow. So if they think it would help I would definitely go for it. I personally don't know how they teach children that young, but I'm sure there are therapists that specialize in peds. Good luck!
Answer:
Hi there! I don't remember how old Lily is or her situation, but my son had a horrible gagging reflex and the dr just said some kids are more sensitive to that. He was over 9 months before he could handle cheerios! He's three now and completely normal and eats all day if that makes you feel better!
Answer:
You'll want to look specifically for a pediatric speech therapist, someone who has experience in dealing with swallowing/eating issues. They are able to see if there is a physical reason why your little one has trouble swallowing/eating and will be able assist. They can check for oral-motor issues as well, which might have something to do with eating/swallowing problems. Amazingly, there are lots of different things that can be done to help and they will definitely be able to figure out what will work best for your baby!
Answer:
It sounds like a good thing, getting the help. Was she too young before, I wonder. I so hope it helps. I'm sorry she's got bronchitis again - diva is wheezing again, too, so we're back on the treatments. I hope little Lily can stay home this time and heal!
Huggggggggggggggs!
Answer:
I have never heard of such a thing. I just wanted to say that I hope everything is fine with Lily and if the doctor says that the speech therapist can help then he must have dealt with this before. I hope Lily feels better soon.
Answer:
Thank you guys for the words of advice..
Lily was just about 7 months when we introuced solid foods to her ( due to her being sick all the time they wanted to hold off and not overwhelm her) I am making my own baby food and she has eaten avacodo before and so last night I gave her some and she at least ate 3 small nibbles and then wanted nothing to do with any type of food. Little stinker!
It will all work out!
By the way she is crawling!!!!!!!! And it is so great and fun, but she is still a huge mommy's girl ( all the time ) and she is on steroids so she is WILD!!!!
She is a hoot either way I am so lucky
Answer:
My oldest had an oral-motor dysfunction that cropped up early on. He started receiving help from a speech therapist who helped develop all his muscles and sensitivity in his mouth. He had her for about 1 1/2 years, could probably still benefit a bit, but it made a huge difference. He had virtually stopped eating because he was afraid of the gagging and vomiting. The problem with him was that he didn't feel the food right in his mouth, so it would hit his throat and gag him. That would trigger everything in his stomach to come back up. It is amazing what the therapist will be able to do to help.
