The Skinny on Kaiya

Part of the reason life has been so crazy is that Kaiya has been having some health issues. Here is a brief summary to bring you up to speed.

June: Kaiya turned 6 months at the end of May, and we decide to start trying solid foods.

July: Kaiya still not very successful with eating "solid" food, begins to refuse bottle.

Kaiya will suck on different foods, but as soon as bits fall off in her mouth, she spits them out. Here she is trying out a french fry.




Early August: Lisa begins to get concerned about Kaiya's eating, notices a drop in milk supply.

Mid-August: Kaiya going longer between feedings, but not actually eating more. Lisa takes her to the doctor's office. They aren't much help.

Late August: Kaiya goes for her 9 month check up. In just a short period of time, Kaiya has lost weight. She seems pretty miserable and is no longer nursing well. Still no progress with eating solids. Doctor seems to take it pretty seriously, because Kaiya's net weight gain from 6 months to 9 months is only an ounce. She now weighs less than 14 lbs. Kaiya categorized as "Failure to Thrive" and referred to a gastroenterologist.

While all this was going on, Lisa was impatient with the progress. So, she contacts Help Me Grow for a developmental evaluation. Kaiya is on target in every area except eating. Kaiya also begins visiting the chiropractor.

September: Chiropractor visits are improving Kaiya's nursing. Lisa's milk supply having problems keeping up with the demand. Talks with a lactation consultant on different ways to boost supply. Kaiya begins to gain weight again.

Kaiya is approved for occupational therapy services through Help Me Grow. At the same time, she goes to the GI specialist, who does some testing. Kaiya seems okay. May have a full feeding evaluation.

October: Kaiya is beginning to take the bottle again. She is up to 15 lbs! We take her back to the GI specialist for a weight check soon, and then a visit at the end of the month to check her progress.

Occupational therapy just started. She goes once a week for 1.5 hours. She had a lot of fun playing. We will keep you posted.

Now to leave you with something quite cute... Kaiya taking a few bites of baby food!