Eating away at nothing

One of the biggest challenges we have had with Jude is getting him to eat properly. Jude is over a year, and is still using a bottle as his primary source of nourishment. Granted each bottle is filled with half formula, half pediasure, and rice. He is getting all the calories he needs, but it does lead me to wonder about how we will feed him in the future. When Jude was born he immediatley latched on and had no problem nursing. He then easily transitioned to a bottle, and at three months was even easily eating some baby food. He would eat an entire small jar in one sitting, since the seizures started we are lucky to get any baby food down him at all.

I am not sure if it's a refusal to eat, or if Jude doesn't understand how to eat solids. It's well known that seizures can delay, or even destroy certain parts of our development. Lately we have learned to grow accustomed to Jude's feeding schedule. He does not follow the routine of a normal baby that wakes up extremely hungry in the morning. Jude has to wake up, and see his surroundings for awhile before he will take his bottle, eventually though he will eat 6-9 ounces in one sitting. We then have to pace his feedings throughout the day, and if you try to feed him when he is not hungry, all heck will break lose. He gets very very angry with you! Last night I attempted to feed him some sweet potatoes, and corn, but he would have no part of it. He will at times eat about half a jar of food, but no more than that.

So I guess only time will tell if Jude's eating habits will change. We have wound up in the hospital twice when he just flat out refused to eat for several days, but it turned out he was sick both times. Jude is beginning to find his hands so I am hoping that this is a sign that he will someday begin to use utensils. It's amazing the things you worry about, and come to understand in a situation with a child with disabilities. The only thing I ever talked about with Emily regarding food was how she liked it so much when she was a baby. It's just a whole new world of discoveries I guess, and learning how to deal with certain situations.