I have a five month old son that once drank formula by mouth and ever since a 2month stay at the hospital...no longer does. It all started with him drinking 2ounces of formula then stopping. He wouldnt take anymore. Then he got to be undrweight by like 3 pounds. He now is pretty much caught up. Then after getting admitted to the hospital and literally every test being done on him...we got no answers. They said he has laringomalsa wich is a weaker airway and acid reflux. He had a swallow tet and it was fine, as was the ph probe, upper gi, and every other test. But now with all these tests and the 2 months without taking by mouth, my son no longer wants to take by mouth.Has anyne else had to deal with anything like this? What did you do? He hasa NG tube in his nose and is still on oxygen bc he has coughing fits that make him desat. Other than that he seems fine. He had a weaker muscle tone but that seems to be getting better with exercise. Can anyone offr any type of advice please? How can I get him to drink by mouth again? Should I try baby food? We do see a speech therapist but their ways dont seem to be working...please help!
Our local Children's hospital has a division that specializes in occupational therapy for infant eating disorders. It sounds like this is what you need. Please search for these types of services in your area. You need a professional.
I agree with the posters below - you should see a specialist that can help specifically with infant feeding problems.
Until then, have you tried feeding him with a spoon? Yes, I realize how tedious this will be and how long it will take, but he might be receptive to taking formula by mouth if he doesn't need to suck a nipple to do it. It could be a good way to re-introduce mouth feeding while you're working on teaching him to suck.
His weaker muscle tone may also be a factor, as I know that low tone can contribute to problems with the tongue as well. It often results in speech delays, but seems logical that it could also then cause difficulty sucking.
I hope your little boy gets better soon! I am sure this is very stressful for you. Sending good thoughts your way!
J., has he had an echo of the heart done to make sure he doesn't have an ASD or PDA? Babies that still have these that never closed naturally can have failure to thrive and difficulty breathing when faced with sucking because the communication is causing desaturated blood. They've probably already ruled it out but thought I'd throw it out there. I really hope you find your answers soon.
I don't know what a speech therapist would be doing for a 5 month old baby who has a tube in his nose. I would try to give him a little bit in a bottle often and maybe try different nipples as some are easier to suck on and some don't go as far into the mouth. Ask your doctor about these. He has to get n0urishment or he'll die so do a little often. You should have a pediatrician checking this child often.
You say that he has a tube in his nose. That alone could be part of the problem. Have you ever tried to eat or swallow something with a tube up your nose and down your throat?
You have to remember that when your son was developing he wasn't fed by mouth than either, so the whole suckling and swallow was still new when his problems started. If this were my son, I would start again with the formula in small portions. Basically starting from scratch. 1-2 oz at a time.
As for whether or not you should try baby food, my suggestion would be no. A change like that should be decided with the approval of his pediatrician and/or gi specialist. It isn't one that I think should be made by your family alone.
You need to talk to his pediatrician. If he was fed by a tube he may need therapy to regain the ability to drink from a bottle.
