Eating Less and Less

Well for the better part of a month now, Anna Joy has been consistently eating less and less. In the past, she has had her ups and downs, but the downs had usually lasted a week or so at the most. When Anna was going strong, her feeding volumes were around 22-24 ounces per day. And her feeds were becoming somewhat predictable and less time consuming. Since mid-May though, she has been refusing to eat pretty early on in her feeds - now sometimes to the point where she refuses before she even reaches one ounce! Angie has been working overtime to find ways to get each and every ounce into her, while not forcing her (which could aggravate the issue), and Anna has been taking in only about 15-17 ounces per day, which is barely enough to keep her hydrated and prevent lethargy. We still have a follow-up nurse come to our home for weight checks and physical therapy, and recently the visits have increased to weekly. Tomorrow Anna's therapist plans on doing more oral therapy with her in hopes that she will take to the bottle again and increase her fluid intake. We also have an appointment with Anna's pediatric gastroenterologist next week to get more information about her intestinal situation.

We ask for prayer that Anna would not refuse eating altogether. If she continues down the path she's on, then it would lead to a feeding tube being put in so that she can gain weight and grow and develop properly. She has started to lose weight in the last week, so pray that God would grant her the ability and desire to feed and thrive!