Bad Mother Starves Child, Film at 11

Many of you know that Kate has been having issues with eating. Issues as in, not eating anything or eating 300 calories a day.

As of the other day, Kate was down to 20 pounds (roughly the 2nd percentile on the growth charts). See her little rib cage:


We've tried everything under the sun, including:

• setting food out around the house
• bribing her with cookies and ice cream
• going out to a restaurant (which used to be where she'd have her biggest meals)
• giving her small meals throughout the day (these were equally rejected and thrown on the floor or on me)
• hiding little snacks (like crackers) in her toybox because I saw her eat something out of her toybox once
• feeding her straight butter (this works a little bit, sometimes)
• and everything else you could think of

NO DICE.

The pediatrician has told me over and over again that she needs to gain weight. Um, really??? Well, that clears things up. You mean my 22 month old daughter shouldn't be wearing 6 month clothing??!!! Huh, who knew?

HELLO....?!!! I know she NEEDS to gain weight. What I want and need to know is:
1. How to make that happen
& / or
2. What is causing her to refuse food / drink

Well, leave it to his lovely, intelligent and compassionate assistant to figure it out (we think):

• When a little one has a persistent ear infection that has come and gone for four months and;
• When a little one has taken three antibiotics and still can't get rid of the ear infection and;
• When a little one has three of her 2-year molars coming in and;
• When said little one is already a bit of a finicky eater,

CHANCES ARE GOOD THAT SHE'S

NOT GOING TO EAT MUCH AT ALL.

And did she intimate that any of this was my fault, like the pediatrician did? Nope. In fact, she reassured me that I was doing a great job and that sometimes these things happen. Getting her better should fix the weight problem. So there, Mr. Know-It-All-Pediatrician who makes me feel incompetent. After our follow-up appointment in two weeks, Kate and I are heading elsewhere.

Oh, and on the ear infection front: Kate just finished a three-day round of injectible antibiotics. Already at 22 months, she's at the strongest antibiotic they have. Good news is, it's working. Bad news is, she's more likely to become resistant to that one and then there's nowhere to go but to a specialist.

One day at a time!