| Later updates | Aaron update 135 |
| Subject: Aaron update 135 Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 10:09 AM From: Kevin Quick To: Aaron Update List Lots of things going on, so I thought I'd send an update before too much water goes under the bridge. We're on a new track, at least temporarily (and Lord, willing, maybe permanently?). We still haven't started Aaron on the Reglan; we've begun another last-ditch effort. Through one of our machinery business customers, we were put in touch with a holistic nutritionist in Denver, CO. Cindy has a master's degree in nutrition, and she thinks we can do everything with natural foods that the Reglan would do, but without the side effects. So, we're giving it a shot. We're just getting rolling, but here's what we're ramping up to: Swedish bitters before meals, to stimulate the appetite, stomach and intestines Marshmallow root/chamomile tea to help with digestion Molasses to help with elimination (also a good source of iron, to replace his constipating iron supplement) Coconut oil for calories Cod liver oil for fats (good for brain development) Goat's milk for general nutrition Scrambled egg for protein Rice cereal Baby food (sweet potato, applesauce, banana; tiny amounts so far) Baby formula (still, for now, his major source of nutrition) Polycose for a few extra calories So far, the molasses seem to be doing well in helping in the pooping department. It's a bit of a trick getting some of the other things into him, when he's not interested in eating, but we're working on it. We just started the tea last night, and he seemed to like it. We began this program about two weeks ago. We haven't seen any noticeable appetite increase yet; in fact, we think his food intake has dropped off a bit. We're trying to be optimistic and are hoping that once the new foods start doing their thing, his whole system will gear up for better food intake and processing. We're planning on giving this program at least a full month before bailing out and going for the Reglan. Cindy thinks we should see some results within four to six weeks. Cindy also recommended that during our trial phase, we try not to micro-manage every calorie that Aaron takes in. She reminded us to look at Aaron from the perspective of where he's come from, rather than comparing him with big, fat full-term babies. She reminded us to enjoy Aaron, and to rejoice in the marvelous little guy that he is. This, too, will help Aaron relax and enjoy eating, growing and living life. She suggested that we not weigh Aaron for a couple of weeks (although we did sneak in a weighing last week; no change at 12.25 pounds). Today marks the beginning of week 33 for our pregnancy #2. Woohoo! We're shooting for the full 40 weeks, although 37 weeks is still considered full-term, and that's only 4 weeks away! Kathleen's gestational diabetes has been well under control with her low-carb diet. She gets checked every week, and everything is fine in that department. She now officially has the "big belly" that we've been praying for. We'll have to take some pictures! Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We definitely do have our bad days, but we have our good days, too. One day, Lord willing, we'll look back on all of this and say, "Gee whiz, what were we so worried about?" Here's a picture of our "Mr. Pickle Tongue," wearing the hand-knitted sweater and pants that Grandma Quick gave him for his birthday. Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone. Love, Kevin, Kathleen, Aaron & Baby #2 |
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