I will pose the question to the GI when they call, but in the meantime, is it different that with formula? I mean, is it even slower? Emily is so hungry for actual food now. The GI that did her scope (not our regular one) said to go ahead and start solids. I had tried oatmeal and rice. Rice gave her hives and she projectile vomited. When she eats oatmeal, about an hour after eating it, she starts crying and gets inconsolable for a couple of hours. I don't know what is up with that, but it happens everytime. So today we tried peas. We are supposed to try everything for at least a week, 2 if she doesn't get bored. She LOVED them and ate the whole 2 oz jar. Then she took a 3 oz bottle :smt103 . So far, no problems. So I was wondering, since she can take up to 6 hours to be hungry for a bottle, is she going to be even slower with a belly full of solids too?

I'm glad you posted this, because we're talking about a similar thing with Noah--sort of. Noah's GI told us that he could have DGE with solids and not with formula. He said that some babies do just fine with formula, especially if they are on an easy to digest one like Alimentum or Nutramagin. So, yes, solids could be posing problems for Emily, but if the peas went down fine then I would think it was more along the lines of a specific problem with the oatmeal. Keep track of all of this and see if you can find a pattern. I hope the peas remain a success!

I think it depends on how complex the food is.
My GI and Eric's peds in VA
say to start with white or clear colored foods and work up to the dark ones. They say to do the same with juices too. Starting with white grape or pear and working the way down to prune. (Eric still can't really handle juice though)
I thought they were looney, but it held true with Eric for the most part.
So just think light to dark.
Eric did well with this way
only they said to do orange veggies before green, and Eric did better with green and I'm still afraid of the orange ones.
The more dense the color, the harder time he had. Like he did well with squashes, but couldn't handle sweet potato or carrots at all.

He did really good with pears, and barely cereal. Horrible with oatmeal and apples.

It's crazy and so hard. Every baby is so different. Just take it slow. Once you find a few "safe" foods you'll have a good base to fall back on. Every time Eric had a hard time, back to pears and barley we went.
Keep in mind that the foods aren't that important as far as nutrition, at this stage it's all about learning and experiencing new tastes and textures. Just teaching her what eating is about. Just keep her comfortable and having a good time with it all. (I know, easier said than done)
Good Luck!

Great points, Minnie!

Eli went downhill fast with solids, he could not handle them and they made things much worse until after his surgery. Even still, he has problems getting it through, but solids will definitely make matters worse if you have emtying problems.

She has tolerated the peas really well, no spitting up, but we used half a jar of stage 2...a little thicker, so I think that is why she hasn't spit up. BUT it is now 4 hours post peas and bottle and her belly is still sloshing like she just had a whole bottle and she is not the least bit interested in another bottle. Sooooo, do I just wait unitl she starts the benthacol sp? and then start solids. I am not sure whether to trust the GI that did her scope, because he didn't have all of her history or the results of the esophogram. Although she thouroughly enjoyed the peas, I am thinking we should hold off until she gets the other med into her system. She doesn't take enough formula as it is, and I don't want to reduce her intake of it for food. UGH! This is so frustrating. Feeding Abby was so fun. It is becoming an ordeal with Em.

I don't know Melissa,
There were times when I went backward to all bottle too. He hated the bottle, but sometimes the food was just to hard for him.
I guess if I tried on your shoes or well... tried to try them on, I might wait until the new med was in there doing something, and postpone until I knew how well it's going to work or if it will give her a hard time.

Then there's the other side of me that says, "Well you HAVE to start sometime and the sooner you do it the sooner you'll get through it".

Just listen to yourself, you know your baby better than a GI does. I mean he may know reflux and all the other crap that goes on in their tummies, but YOU know your baby.

Keep in mind too that my healthy Emilia didn't get a real start to solids until past the 8 month mark, and she did just fine. I only pushed solids with Eric because he hated drinking so much, I felt I had to.

It's a tough decision, but just know whatever you decide right now, I don't think it will compromise her nutrition at all.

Melissa,
in general solids are difficult for kids with severe DGE. They move slower than formula does. With that being said, some may move quicker than others. The stage 1 and 2 purees are going to be a similar speed to formula because they are already broken down to such a think consistency. Meats are going to be slower--the higher the protein and fat the slower it will go in a normal person--multiply that for a child with DGE. I think green veggies, a fruits that are not constipating like pears and peaches (although neither of my kids like peaches!).

All the infant cereals are a disaster for Gavin. Peas, green beans, and pears go well with him. But if he eats a jar, he takes in less formula. He doesnt really have enough room in his tummy for both. It always has been one or the other so until he turned one I only focused on the formula. At Emily's age, I didnt worry too much about the food. At first, he only wanted purees-no breastmilk or formula. His weight fell off the chart because purees arent enough to keep their growth up at that age. I went to just formula (neocate) and once he started doing better I slowly added purees back. That wasnt until like 9 months. He is 12 months now and still only takes in 2 jars a day, and 22 0z of neocate a day. I try to give him table food, but even though he will finally put some in his mouth, chew, and swallow now--he takes in enough of that to give a baby bird a snack. He is able to take in a little more now that he is one, but it is still not a normal amount. I just have adjusted my perspective of what normal for Gavin will be for now.

I will give him a 6 oz. bottle when he wakes in the morning, another 5 oz. bottle about 4 hours later, then about 3 hours after that I give him a 4 oz jar. That takes us about 4 hours before he is ready for another 5 oz bottle. Then 3 hours later he has another jar, and then goes another 3 hours and has his last 4 oz bottle. We are utilizing 17 hours in a day to get that in him--it is a balancing act trying to get it all in (this day is 20 oz and 8 oz of purees). Today though he only had 15 ounces of formula and 8 oz of purees with a little table food. It's rough!

Sarah is definitely worse with solids. If I am able to get her to eat any her reflux is much worse. So for her solids definitle pass slower than milk.

Wow. We think our twins have DGE, and we are having trouble with solids. They will eat them, but it really affects bottles. It's hard to figure out when to give solids, when to do bottles, so they can digest them the best and still drink well.

I'll be watching this thread since we may start solids soon!