Step 5#: How I weaned my daughter off her feeding tube - THINK LONG-TERM

Introducing the spoon was a completely new challenge. I will be honest: at one point, I simply forced it.

Let me explain. Everyone (and I mean everyone!) will tell you to never ever force feed your child. And I fully agree! It can make your baby hate the feeding time and you will fail. Some believe it can also damage a baby far beyond its childhood. But while teaching Emanuela to eat, I reached a point of realization that she simply does not know what a spoon is. Opening my mouth as wide as possible and showing her what to do did not help. When I came close to her mouth with a spoon she would close it as tight as she could. There was no way for her to realize that there was something yummy on it. She rejected it all together. It did not even help that I gave her a spoon to play with. It would just end up on the floor.

So, maybe I can blame a built up frustration or maybe I can compliment my motherly instinct, but I decided to put a spoon into her mouth at any cost. I also decided that if I fail, I will give up for at least a month. I hoped I would “reboot” her that way and she would forget the trauma. But mostly, I decided to think long-term. I chose the lesser evil. It was either me being soft and she continued to be tube fed, or me being tough and her being weaned off the tube and living as normal life as it gets. I put aside feeling sorry for her. I knew that being gentle at that moment was simply not good for her long-term. Yes, she complained. But the first spoon was done. She whimpered. A second spoon was done. She did not cry so I continued.

I tried to have fun. I was ecstatic for every spoon she accepted. And by "accepted" I mean looked at, touched, played with, not to mention licked or anything close to properly swallowed. I clapped. I yelled BRAVO and WELL DONE! I was singing, talking, rooting... By the end of it, I was exhausted.

But... I believe it was by the seventh spoon she realized there was no other way. She opened her mouth. And I continued being happy about it like a crazy person.