Nutritionist

In case you don't already know....Kendall is a stroke survivor! She had a stroke in utero. We don't know when but we have a pretty good idea of why. You can just read to the right to get some of the details or scroll down to my re-cap to get the whole story.

Thought I would post this picture in recognition of Childhood Stroke Awareness Day on May 2. There are a group of people over at the Pediatric Stroke Network who work very hard lobbying to spread the word that kids, toddlers, infants, even unborn babies have strokes. Hopefully one day, when my life slows down, and all of this truly sinks in, our family will be able to do more to help spread awareness.

Since Kendall had a stroke, obviously she faces challenges most children don't. Eating is one of those challenges. For me, breastfeeding has been a huge part of Kendall's first year. I breastfed Kamden, but not for a whole year. I'm not one of those over-the-top people who breastfeeds openly in say, an airport, or posts pictures of me breastfeeding on Facebook, but I would definitely say I'm opinionated on the topic. I believe employers should make it easier for women to breastfeed. I think working moms have enough obstacles to overcome in the workplace, and they shouldn't have to justify giving their babies the best nutritional start. I have opinions, but I wouldn't say I'm judgemental. I think there is a stigma attached to breastfeeding moms, just as there is for moms who don't breastfeed. To each his own. But for me, nursing Kendall gave me the ability to know I was giving her something research has proven is "brain food!" It hasn't been easy. It hasn't always been comfortable. But, it has worked for us.

Until now.

The Nutritionist from ECI was here yesterday and we discovered that Kendall has lost weight. She went from being in the 90th percentile to the 10th. Breast milk isn't cutting it anymore. She's not eating enough solid foods to sustain her either. So, we made the decision to start her on Pediasure in place of whole milk or breast milk. She will continue to eat, but the extra calories and nutrition she'll get from the Pediasure will hopefully give her enough calories to keep up with her therapy, seizures, and play. I know this may not sound too bad, but it is a step back for me. Kendall losing her eating ability has always been a big fear of mine. I spend a lot of time each day monitoring how much she eats, and feeding her. So in a way, I feel like we've failed...

If you breastfed your child for any length of time, you know stopping is hard both emotionally and physically. I feel like crying every time I think about it. I feel a disconnect with her during the day. (I'm going to continue the night time nursing) And, the pain associated with stopping cannot be explained in words. It's horrible. Please lift us up in your prayers this week...