"Her name is Hailey, but we call her Bug. She's a delightful little 5-month-old! She was born full-term, but from the get-go had issues with nursing and even taking a bottle. Weeks led into months of her not eating correctly due to an improper swallow, dairy, soy, and coconut allergies, and reflux issues. She failed a swallow study and then had a severe case of oral thrush so she had a nasal tube inserted. She has an Nasojejunal Tube, meaning she gets fed by pump continuously into her intestine rather than stomach because she has a history of aspirating. Since then, she's failed a second swallow study; in fact, the second one was worse than the first, and she no longer takes anything by mouth.
We're working with Vanderbilt hospital to do tests in order to find out the cause of her swallow problems. We're also working with feeding therapy to encourage her to learn how to eat and drink eventually, and will be adding physical therapy to the list, too. Our journey is just beginning and we have a long way to go, but she's a fighter!"
