Addy has always had what we called a "hair trigger gag reflex." It's actually pretty common for people who have central nervous system issues, such as the spina bifida that Addy has. It's always been kind of an annoying, but mostly livable, part of life at our house. Perhaps you'll recall the month that Addy spent wearing socks on her hands instead of her feet.
A couple of months ago, we started giving puffs and Cheerios to the Red-Headed Wonder. Usually she does fine, but sometimes she doesn't quite get the cereal mushed up enough and it hits the back of her tongue just right, causing her to gag and throw-up. I had hoped that she just needed some more practice and patience and that she would work through the sensitivity on her own.
Unfortunately, she has figured out that we take puke--and it's warning signal, the gag--pretty seriously and that when there is barf, pretty much whatever else was happening is quickly stopped in favor of a bath. So if she doesn't like the flavor of the baby food du jour, or she's tired of eating, or she doesn't care for the texture of something that's in her mouth, or she's tired of being in the nursery at church, then she makes her gag noise. And sometimes she does it with a little too much gusto. And then she barfs.
Last week, I finally decided that it wasn't getting better on it's own (and it was, in fact, getting worse) so I called Addy's Early Intervention case manager to ask for an evaluation with an occupational therapist to see what we can do about all of the up-chuck.
The OT feels that Addy vomits because 1) she has spina bifida, 2) she has unregulated constipation, and 3) she's bored. To address these causes, we're supposed to 1) use a toothbrush to brush her lower gums, 2) feed her from the side (as in, while not facing her straight-on and by stuffing the food between her gum and her cheek), 3) not make eye-contact when she's threatening to spew, 4) aggressively manage the poop, and (my personal favorite) 5) encourage Addy to have more sensory experiences, especially during meal times and most especially by giving her a spoon to play with and by dipping her toys in her food and letting her suck on them. Yes, give the child with a sensitive gag reflex a spoon, and then don't watch while she barfs when she sticks it down her throat.
This is what happens when a 9-month old "experiences" sweet potatoes:
And this is what happens when a 9-month old "experiences" prunes mixed with pears:
Note the spoon and pile of toys on the floor. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit to adding the war paint stripe across her forehead. The rest of the art work is an Addy original.
This whole thing is driving me crazy. Why? Because, for one thing everything within about a 50 foot radius of Addy--INCLUDING THE CAT--has to be thoroughly scrubbed after she has "experienced" her food. For another thing, Addy spends the whole time sucking on the toy that was dipped in food instead of eating from the spoon. It now takes more than an hour to feed her what used to take 25-30 minutes. Add to that the hour of clean-up that's now required post-"experience," and you're looking at more than 2 hours spent on a single meal. By the time it's done, it's time to start over with the next one.
I remain skeptical that this will accomplish anything other than perhaps sending me to a psychiatric facility. I guess if it helps with the barf then maybe it will be worth it. Maybe.
