Do you remember my post from fall where I talked about some of the medical conditions we’ve learned about since we began doing foster care? It was called Not a Medical Baby, and its probably in my top ten favorite posts I’ve written. We have learned SO much in the last stretch of our life, and while its not necessarily been gentle, its been incredibly enlightening, and not at all as daunting as it sounds.
So if you’ve followed along, you know we’ve fed our morsel through an NG tube. That system has been upgraded to a G tube!! Teaching time! The G stands for gastrostomy, which means its inserted directly into the stomach. Previously, we managed an NG (nasogastric) tube that went in through the nose and ran down into the stomach. I feel like logic tells us that the NG tube is a temporary solve, and a G tube is a longer term solution. A G tube does not have to be forever at all, but the NG is significantly more temporary, and is only really meant to stay in for a few weeks. We rocked one over here for a good six months. Moving to the G tube meant surgery, therefore another hospital admission, and healing a surgical site. However, it has proven to be a significantly nicer situation for the morsel, and we have absolutely NO regrets. Behold 🙌 This is what that G button looks like!
Ok but seriously. Its basically just a beach ball valve.
What is cool about going from an NG to a G tube is that almost nothing changes. We used to screw the end of the feeding bag into the tube that was taped to the side of the morsels face. Now, we attach ONE additional piece of equipment – an extension – to the morsels tummy, and screw the end of the feed onto it. We rock the right angle extension, as it lays flat against the tummy.
Poof. Thats its. Not so scary, is it? Everything else is exactly the same. Besides the obvious health benefits for someone who cannot safely feed, the baby has more freedom and comfort this way. The tube isn’t as buggy, and can be tucked under a high chair tray and out of sight. The baby can breathe better when they have a cold, and they are not constantly re-traumatized, having it get pulled out and put back in constantly. It is altogether better, even though the thought of it scared me at first. Now, its just part of us!
Thank you, Rae, for this BOMB shirt!!! 💜
Don’t be afraid if the topic of tube feeding comes up relating to someone you love 💜 That part of whatever they are going through is going to be SO manageable, and you CAN and WILL learn it. It will be easier than you think. One day, you’ll wonder what you were so worried about. It will feel big, but not forever 💜 Hear my heart in this, please. I don’t downplay anyone’s scene. I just want to encourage others to not be afraid of tube feeding. Its really just not so bad at all 💜 Don’t be scared.