Every day this week, May has some kind of appointment. It is always inevitable right before I leave for the States – which I am on Saturday.
But, before that happens, we have to make it through this marathon week. Physio on Monday. Official statement about the negligent pharmacist on Tuesday. Small Steps class on Wednesday. SALT on Thursday. Then, on Friday, off to the hospital for the big wig metabolic consultant meeting.
In between that, I will be ringing people. I asked for a new visual impairment therapist over a month ago, and I know someone was assigned to her, but she hasn’t contacted us yet.
Also, we met with the dietitian last week. Initially, May was referred to her because I wanted to enrich May’s diet with B6. She came and explained to us that vitamin B was in almost everything. Since that meeting, we’ve discovered May isn’t deficient in B6. Still, we arranged a second meeting so I regaled her with tales – the highs and lows of weaning May – which to be honest, seem pretty normal stuff to me.
Beware, mothers of babies with “complex needs” (the PC term the professionals use):
Never regal your therapists with tales of anything your baby is not doing properly when it is a totally normal baby thing. Inevitably, it will become a serious issue.
May loves her bottle. She isn’t all that interested in food, but tolerates it on my behalf. She’ll try anything, but doesn’t salivate over much. Small potatoes really, in comparison to the magnitude of the problem at hand.
At our meeting, the dietitian said to me, “I know I said I was only going to meet with you one more time and then discharge you, but I am not satisfied that you are doing everything right yet to give May a balanced diet. I think I need to see you a couple more times.”
I know she just wants May to get the best start she can. But, a mama can only do so much. I already feed her fresh homemade food and high-quality baby food when she won’t eat mine. I’ve come to terms with my deficiencies as a gourmet baby chef.
Regardless of how nice or well-intending, I can’t continue to see a therapist because she wants May to eat a more balanced diet. The child is healthy and putting on weight. I don’t have the time, energy or brain power to add “general baby advice” to the volumes we receive each week. So, I’m cutting her from the ever growing list of professionals attached to May. But, I’m a coward. So, I’m doing it over email.
This time next week, I will be basking in the California sunshine. Currently, I am writing this at 3.40 am while I listen in to May in her room, hoping and praying she will go back to sleep. Next week – she sleeps with Grandma!
That’s good to know May isn’t deficient in B6. Do check out zinc too and magnesium. They are known to grow the brain and skin.
And it’s great to know that she’s putting on weight.
Perhaps Grandma’s cooking will tempt her.
It’s lucky that my little girl (11mths) does not come into contact with dietitians. She still has 3-5 bottles a day having breastfeed until 8mths but as to proper food she likes toast with marmite and fruit that is about it! “Experts” need understand children do nt do as we want them to they have nt read the books. Both my girls are selective eaters and both are in the 98th centile for height and 75th for weight. Your little girl sounds quite normal with eating to me all my friends girls look at home cooked food with disgust!
Hope see continues to amaze and you can see the funny side of experts (I speak as a so called healthcare professional who does try to remember that patients and there famlies live there lives every day).
Good luck