Thursday, June 17, 2010

Back on the tube

Well, it's official, Magnus is going to be an NG tuber again, at least for a couple of months.

Even though he's started to pick up his eating, it's not enough to get him caught up on his growth. The dietician we met with wanted us to have him on NG feeds all day long, but we talked her down to letting him eat by mouth during the day and then making up what he needs to get to his goal volume for the day at night.

Hopefully this means we won't have to worry about his growth any more, but I'm very nervous about how he's going to do with the tube now that he is so good at grabbing and pulling on things! Hopefully he'll get used to it and leave it alone.

6 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry, but I'm sure it's the right thing to do to put him back on the tube. Hope it goes okay - I know it won't be easy on any of you.

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  2. I was just thinking of you guys last night after reading your update a while back and wondering what choice would be made. It sounds like a good compromise though, nights only, and hopefully he'll gain weight quickly and be able to get off the tube real soon! Pack on the pounds, Magnus! I'll be thinking of you!

    -Clare

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  3. Glad to hear that you were able to get things settled with a non-surgical option. Hopefully he'll catch up quickly. Have you changed what you're feeding him at all?

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  4. Just one more thing...I think I read that Magnus is only on breast milk, but I just wanted to mention this. If Magnus does not have a problem with milk, have you considered yogurt? C LOVES it. I get the Stoneyfield Organic Yo Babys and she would eat that all day long if I let her. Lots of good fat (whole milk) and calories. Easy way to bump up caloric intake and it helps with restoring the good bacteria. C has no spleen so she takes antibiotics everyday. I use a probiotic and yogurt to help restore her balance. I hope he is able to get off the tube feeds as well since he sounds like he is really good at this eating thing :)

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  5. Ashley, we haven't tried giving him yogurt, but maybe I will. However, he has hated all solid foods we've tried to give him thus far, including fruits. We are giving him probiotics mixed in with his milk, and haven't noticed a big change except that they did cure the diarrhea he was having.

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  6. I can only imagine how tough this feels right now, but try and find a silver lining; will you get a bit more sleep if Magnus is on continuous feeds all night? Even if you get up once to pump, it beats waking every two hours and having no energy to face the challenges ahead. You were smart to insist upon continuing with oral feeds; perhaps with a fuller belly Magnus will be more prone to experiment with solids. We've been using avocado to add fats and boost weight. Good luck!

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