We definitely got a treat yesterday!! Ramsey took the day off so that the three of us could visit the GI doc and ENT. I am thrilled to share that we got wonderful news all around!! Since this is the NG tube blog, I will tell you about the feeding. See 'Trachs are for Kids!' for more on the ENT visit.
So, I have never been so happy to be wrong! Ramsey and I were ready for a fight at the GI doc. We were so nervous that the doctor would be dissatisfied with Gracie's weight and tell us that we are being too hasty in our efforts to wean her off of the NG tube. Well, the opposite happened! The doctor thought Gracie's weight was fine and even helped us to develop a plan for the next baby step: getting Gracie off of the continuous night feed. We were also supported in giving Gracie plain breast milk and when we asked for more ideas for fortification, we were sent home with a goodie bag full of samples to experiment with. Trick or Treat! We felt very supported, heard and encouraged- hooray! Note to self: nurses are nervous-Nellie's, however well-intentioned.
So our current feeding schedule is (and this changes every few days!):
Four daytime feeds of 160cc (with bottle, but we put any remaining through tube)
One evening bolus through tube- 160cc over 1 hour
We will also work on increasing her solid food intake, because that is easier to fortify. Slow and steady!
Prevacid- 4ml/day but we will discuss taking her off of it when the tube comes out
So now Gracie is free for the night- yippee!! No more getting tangled in that darn tube! One tube down, one pulse-ox wire to go- phew! We see the GI doc again toward the end of November when we will discuss removing the NG tube! Just in time for Thanksgiving :)
So, I have never been so happy to be wrong! Ramsey and I were ready for a fight at the GI doc. We were so nervous that the doctor would be dissatisfied with Gracie's weight and tell us that we are being too hasty in our efforts to wean her off of the NG tube. Well, the opposite happened! The doctor thought Gracie's weight was fine and even helped us to develop a plan for the next baby step: getting Gracie off of the continuous night feed. We were also supported in giving Gracie plain breast milk and when we asked for more ideas for fortification, we were sent home with a goodie bag full of samples to experiment with. Trick or Treat! We felt very supported, heard and encouraged- hooray! Note to self: nurses are nervous-Nellie's, however well-intentioned.
So our current feeding schedule is (and this changes every few days!):
Four daytime feeds of 160cc (with bottle, but we put any remaining through tube)
One evening bolus through tube- 160cc over 1 hour
We will also work on increasing her solid food intake, because that is easier to fortify. Slow and steady!
Prevacid- 4ml/day but we will discuss taking her off of it when the tube comes out
So now Gracie is free for the night- yippee!! No more getting tangled in that darn tube! One tube down, one pulse-ox wire to go- phew! We see the GI doc again toward the end of November when we will discuss removing the NG tube! Just in time for Thanksgiving :)