G Tube...

My daughter was 1 lb, 7.3 oz at birth and required a G-tube at 2 months old. It was a much better alternative to feeding her through a tube in her nose. Feeding her through it and changing it were not very hard. It was nice to be able to regulate her feeds when her Reflux would flair up. The only problems we had were when she got it caught on something and when it got pulled out by oter children. She had it until 1st grade. She still has a scar from it and it took a long time to heal, but overall not a bad experience.

Blessings-
C.

You didn't say whether they would be a permanent placement? My son also had a gtube, colostomy, ileostomy, and central line. Our family all trained on how to use them and it was fine. It was not the ideal situation, but it got our baby home with us where he was in his own environment and he thrived!

Hi L.,

First I want to say congrats on your sweet baby girl! I know how rough it is for her to be in the hospital, and I'll be praying for you both :)

Now, on to the question at hand. My son had a g-tube placed when he was six months old. He actually lost the suck reflex, and he was exhausting himself just trying to get enough to eat. It truly saved his life... within just a few months, he had gained weight and looked and acted like a totally different baby.

Pros for us - he was eating instead of being hungry every hour, he gained the needed weight, his reflux stopped (they did a fundoplication at the same time as the g-tube), giving him medication was a piece of cake.

Cons - it takes some getting used to, it's weird to bring your baby home with an "appliance" attached to their tummy, my son had a longer recovery than average - but no complications.

Depending on how long she has it, they may put a Mic-Key G-button in instead of the long tube (my son had a mic-key). If they do the mic-key - my suggestion is to make sure you know how to put it back in/replace it. I had to do this several times, and the first time was kinda freaky! LOL - but we got so used to it later on that we didn't even take him to the Dr. to have it replaced - we just did it ourselves.

The one thing that we didn't do - and I wish we had - is that we didn't keep offering him his bottle and pacifier. He was so underweight by the time we got the tube, we focused on getting the food into him... and not so much on keeping what little suck reflex he had. But then again, he was a totally different case!!! None of the "textbook" rules applied to him :) He went to meet Jesus last year - but it had NOTHING to do with his feeding tube.

I know that your time is filled with a lot going on, but if you ever have questions, or you just want to talk to someone who has "been there" please feel free to email me. It sounds like you have a very special angel in your life now :)

A.
____@____.com
myspace: www.myspace.com/aaryn_elyse

I would make sure you have more than one opinion, but a gtube is not a bad way to go for right now to assure the baby is receiving nourishment. You want her to come home sooner, and the gtube assures that she is getting enough nourishment for right now. Usually, they are not permanent, especially once they grow and become stronger/more independent with feeding skills.

Hope this helps, and good luck with everything.

My granddaught had on placed at 1 month of age, due to same sucking, swallowing, breathing issues. She is now 4 and we have not had to use the G-tube in over a year and we are looking to have it removed this summer. Our biggest concern was getting it caught & learning what to do when it came out. We were having to replace it sooner than originally prescribed. Once we got the hang of it it becomes part of what you do.

Dear L., I am happy to hear that your baby is so close to coming home. I had a preemie born at 24 weeks in 2000 and the four month hospital stay was the most challenging time of my life! I wish I could offer advice on the g tube, but we were lucky enough not to have to have the procedure. I am writing to let you know that I am curretnly working to start a community based program to support parents of preemies after they leave the hospital. I have submitted a formal proposal for the program to a local non-profit and they are eager to work with me to make this happen in our community. I think such an organizaiton will help bring parents of preemies together so we can learn for our unique experiences. If you would be interested in receiving more information when I launch my progam, please send me your e-mail and/or phone number and I will add you to my database. There is a similar non-profit called Preemies Today in Washington www.preemiestoday.org. You can join their site for free and particiapte in online discussions and post questions etc...I am confident you would receive many responses if you posted your g tube question. My very best wishes to you and your family!

K.

My brother and SIL recently had something very similar. They adopted a baby that the mother smoked and in short didn't do what she should to help him develop. He wasn't as premature as yours but couldn't figure out the eat, swallow, breath. The nurses had made a few suggestions and what seemed to finally work was to let him suck a few times then pull the bottle away. As soon as they would he would swallow and take a breath. It took a little longer for him to eat but that seemed to work. Overall he had lost a little over a lb when they finally let him go home but said since he was eating he should soon put the weight back on. He's now 5 months old and still has some trouble drinking milk from a bottle but overall is a healthy eater. Good Luck and I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.

My daughter also had a g-tube when she was 2 months old they put one in so she could go home early also. This helps them gain weight. They will also train you on how to feed her. You can do it by gravity or by a machine. You should ask for a g-button not a g-tube. My daughter had a g-tube and she always pulled it out. So they put in a g-button and she wasn't able to pull it out. It also looked nicer and was less hassle to clean. At first they will put in a tube but after about 4 weeks they should be able to put in a button.
Also remember that she may lose her suck and swallow reflex so make sure that an occupational therapist is involved. My daughter is now 7 and due to other health issues she never had her g-button removed. If you need any other advice please let me know.

Hi L.,

My 8 year old son has had a g-tube all his life. He stayed in the NICU for a month b/c he wasn't eating enough by the hospital standards to come home. When he was born he couldn't swallow and had the tube placed through his nose into the stomach. At 7 weeks old he had surgery to put the gtube in his stoma. Luckily we have never had any complications with the gtube and it has only broken one time. Feedings are really easy and only take a matter of minutes. My son is now learning how to eat by mouth. So the only con we have had is that he never learned how to eat and now that he's 8 it's taking longer b/c he was used to the gtube feedings. Of course my son has additional disablities that could relate to the eating too. Email me or call if you need anything else.

J.
512/251-8877
www.mygc.com/delightfulcandles
____@____.com

I think that you really should weigh your options carefully. Could you ask about a NG (nasogastric tube)--it may not be "cute" but it is less permanent as she is still figuring out this whole eating thing. Who is your surgeon?

Our daughter came home with an NG tube after open heart surgery. She did good for the most part. She threw up on occasion. It was hard for me to see her with it but it was the best thing for her. I wish you all the luck. It's hard to see our babies vulnerable and sick.

Congrats and hang in there...this difficult time will pass! Our daughter was in the hospital for 2 months and was finally released to us with an NG tube (through the nose). Although it's different than a G tube, we found it relatively easy to deal with (changing them was not fun but was really easy, about 5 minutes tops). She had a 30 day tube so it could've stayed in the whole month but she pulled it out on occasion. Overall, it made medicine delivery and eating very easy until she was able to eat all on her own. We typically gave her a bottle by mouth and then whatever she didn't finish we put in the tube. After a month or so she had it removed because she was eating better (and post heart surgery she was eating enough to start growing again). Good luck w/ whatever you decide...I think the best choice depends on the severity of the situation and how long they think your little one will need help feeding. Trust your instincts...

Hi L.-
Congratulations on getting near the end of the hospital stay! The only advice I can offer that is different from the others is to make sure your baby is being seen by an occupational or speech therapist who can continue to work on oral feedings. This is very important to start right now because you don't want to lose any skills your daughter has gained and it takes them a lot of practice to get it down well.
Good luck and enjoy having her at home!

K.