Feeding Tube Awareness Week was created to help educate people on the role of feeding tubes as a medical intervention. There are many medical conditions that require a feeding tube to support healthy growth and development in children and it can come with many challenges.

In mom's own words, Rucha discusses her experience with a child requiring tube feeds.

A: Soon after Aavir came home from the NICU, he was put on an NG tube. He had really bad reflux issues as a newborn and, therefore, would have large amounts of spit-ups after his feeds, which caused him to develop an aversion to a bottle. The NG tube was a good option to help Aavir get food in; however, he didn't seem to do too well on that either. He was still having a large volume of spit-ups and wasn't gaining the weight he needed. We then switched him to a G-tube, and things looked up from there.

A: Aavir was six months old when an NG tube was inserted and fourteen months old when the G-Tube was placed. 

Q: How did you initially feel about your Aavir having a feeding tube?

A: Initially, we were very hesitant to go with the NG tube and then even more with the G-Tube. The NG Tube placement seemed urgent at the time to make sure he was getting the nutrition that he needed. The G-Tube was an option, and we kept pushing further, even though our GI doctor suggested we make the switch right away after the NG tube was placed. I think we were hoping for bigger strides with the NG Tube, where we wouldn't even have to go the G-Tube route, especially since it required surgery. We ended up switching to the G-Tube, and it ended up being the best decision for Aavir. He was able to keep food down the best yet.

Q: What has been the hardest part of the feeding tube?

A: I think the hardest part of a feeding tube is seeing your child in distress and not making progress. We watched Aavir wailing as we repeatedly, almost daily, at one point, had to re-insert the NG tube because it came out during a spit-up. The G-tube was much better for him; however, the granulation tissue that appears often required medication being applied multiple times a day, and it seemed to irritate him when this had to be done. The problem with both feeding tubes is that we don't know for sure that they are placed properly. There are ways to test and make sure things are fine, but you just don't know for a fact that they're fine, and Aavir was so young that he can't vocalize anything.

A: We started working with Betsy when Aavir was nineteen months old. She became a great member of Aavir's team quickly. Her guidance really helped Aavir stay on track to increase his caloric intake with oral feeds while staying in a healthy window of weight gain. Betsy's expertise gave us the confidence to continue feeding Aavir the high-calorie items he loved while keeping his hydration levels on point as we proceeded to wean him from his G-Tube. 

Betsy Hjelmgren, founder of Feed to Succeed, and Jen Karakosta discuss Vitamin D–sources, supplements, benefits, and more.

Listen to the episode "Yes, you DO need vitamin D!" to learn more.

Looking to receive CEU Credits? We are offering a series: TWW: Tube Weaning Webinar

In this three-part series, you will learn about:

As a reminder, we are now using 'Patient Ally' for all records, documents, and appointments.

If you have not done so already, we request that all clients sign up for 'Patient Ally' prior to their first appointment if you have not done so already. Through 'Patient Ally', clients and their families can submit intake forms and insurance information, view appointments, send messages to their care team, and pay bills.