In the Right Direction

It's been three weeks today since we suctioned our girl and it's so incredible. She is really learning to handle her own secretions and what she can't handle we facilitate with positioning and a bulb syringe (just like all the other kids!). Our lives are less complicated -- still dealing with tube feeding of course, but not shlepping around a suctioning unit is like an early Birthday gift. I'm nervous about the upcoming winter, but we'll deal with it day to day.
I made an appt at the St. Joseph's Feeding Clinic in Patterson, NJ. They're supposed to be the best and my friend, Carrie, who has a son very similar to Amelia, and is an SLP (Speech & Language Pathologist) highly recommended we take her there. She said that because we haven't suctioned her for so long -- it's time to get a strict feeding regime going. It's very exciting.
We've been doing therapeutic feedings with her, but she's tending to get it stuck it stuck in the front of her mouth. It's a coordination problem, but before it turns into behavioral/habit, we need see how to correct it. Our SLP thru EI (Early Intervention) is fantastic, but she is not a specialist -- so she is right on board with us to make it all happen.
Well, it's feeding time here at the Serrano house -- gotta get the girl out of the stander and into her positioning chair -- just another day at the office.