Child's Failure to Thrive and Eat: Haylie's Success Story

“My husband and I have 3 children. Our youngest Haylie started out just fine and nursed great. The problem began when she needed to start eating solids on her own after age 1. No matter what we tried – pureed, steamed or juiced, fruits or vegetables, squeezers or yogurt - she was not interested in eating. I thought it had something to do with food allergies and food sensitivities.

I took her to a gastrointestinal pediatrician who was great. She suggested the elimination diet i.e. to cut out most allergic foods and then add one food at a time back into my child’s diet. This is a long process however and takes 2 years. We were very limited by Haylie’s prescribed diet due to her hypersensitive GI system. 

As Haylie continued to lack a desire to eat, I became increasingly worried about her general nutrition, restless nights, continued bloating and constipation with occasional blood in her stool. 

Her pediatrician was concerned that Haylie was underweight, and she was not growing. The doctor was especially concerned that Haylie was not getting adequate amounts of fat to nourish brain development. If things didn’t change for Haylie, the doctor recommended a feeding tube. This prompted me to look further for other answers.

After a friend in Colorado suggested I find a doctor who practices Dr. Howard Loomis’ work, I found Dr. Patrick online. When we left after our first visit I wasn’t sure if the treatment would work. But after getting home 90 minutes later, Haylie actually showed an interest in eating and ate for the first time. Even though we are talking about 2 teaspoonfuls of food, this was a big deal. Her interest was huge for us and over the next few weeks and months she began to eat more and more. 

Then constipation became an issue, which I thought might become a disinpaction issue. After one more visit to Dr. Patrick who identified it was a colon hydration issue, her bowel movements increased to 1-3 a day - which prior to his work - it was one  to three bowel movements a week. She has been fine ever since.

Now my husband and I have a vibrant 21-month-old toddler and naturally we are very pleased."

- Haylie’s Mom and Dad

Roseville, California.