Ds awareness day #16

I am just realizing that I am missing a day.... how the heck? Well... It's ok, it's my blog I make the rules :)

So here we go...   Our topic tonight is eating!

mmm... rice cereal

I posted early on that Ola and I didn't really have a very go go at breast feeding. We managed to do it for 2 weeks when Ola was about 11 weeks old. My milk quickly depleted without all the pumping I had been doing before that, and it was over. 13 weeks is a far cry from the 14 months I did with Poppy.

Kids with Ds are known to have a little bit bigger tongue and a smaller palate than "typical" (shutter...) kids. They also tend to be tongue thrusters, which makes it hard for them to get the hang of nursing and then eating solids.

I started introducing Ola to rice cereal about a month ago, it didn't go so well. Food everywhere, tons of tongue thrusting and a baby that just wanted her bottle. I waited another two weeks, tried again, waited some more and then decided that I needed to do it again. She turned 6 months yesterday, and I am proud to say that I think we have a rice cereal fan! 

I know that this picture looks super messy, but this was 2 days ago, tonight was only one little smear on the bib!

I have a book on nutrition for Ds, and in the beginning chapters it says not to be disappointed in your child if in the beginning they push out 75% of what you put in. I am pretty sure the first night was close to that, but it seems to be good now. 

I think our pediatrician's first advice to us was "you get out of a child with Ds what you put in." I think that statement is ringing true and I can't wait to tell him at her appointment this week how awesome she is doing!