I was not aware that there was a feeding tube awareness week. However, I am so glad that there is! We have some people in our lives that accept the feeding tube, and others that question what we are doing. They ask, "Well have you tried this? How about this? or what about that?" when talking about her eating by mouth. While I understand that it is well intentioned, it does frustrate me. We have therapists who dedicate their lives work to helping kids like Bree, and they see her on a weekly basis. We are trying our best to help her, and encourage her to eat with her mouth. For now, the g tube is a part of our lives.
I am so thankful that there is such thing as a feeding tube. Without it, Bree would not be here. She is not able to eat enough food or drink enough liquids by mouth in order to sustain life. So yes, she does get her nutrition differently than other children. Yes, it does take more time. Yes, I do wish that she didn't have to have a g tube...but she does. So we accept and we do our best with what we have.
I can guarantee she is much better fed than most children her age because we control exactly what goes into her, how many calories, and ounces of fluid/food she has a day. For me, that is a comfort. She is getting the best nutrition that she possibly can be, which is allowing for the best brain and body growth for her. When she is sick, we can still give her food and fluids as long as her little stomach will hold it in. She gets all of her medicine through her tube, and I don't have to worry about how much she spit out.
We love our tubie.
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