Feeding pump vs tube feedings

[SereneOne]

We are going to see about Meghan having a feeding pump at night instead of bolus feeds six times a day every two and a half hours.

I do not understand why she was put on bolus feeds in the first place.

I have been getting up all hours of the night tube feeding her, so that she will eat during the day (once she can eat totally by mouth they will take away her feeding tube). When I do this, she eats much better bc she is not FULL from her tube feedings.

I just can't function doing this and her new school nurse had recommended this so that it does not interrupt her (my daughter) during her school day. (She is starting kindergarten this Fall).

I figure we hook a bag up and then the tubing connects to her gtube and it slowly pumps in formula while she sleeps??

I recall when she was in NICU they fed her with a tube through the nose and they had these little machines that would slowly feed her each feeding. So kind of like that but for several hours?

 

[LavenderPeach]

DS has a feeding pump that we use at night. We just hook him up and the food goes in slowly over a 4 hour period. You can adjust how fast you want the food to go in. DS used to be fed over a 7 or 8 hour period but now has less food at night so it goes in faster. Does that answer your question? Let me know if you want to know anything else about it.

 

[MarieS]

I think it depends on the child's medical situation. For us, we don't do night feedings because DS needs a very slow rate ( delayed gastric emptying/reflux)and there was no way to get it all in during the night, he wasn't hungry until late in the day when fed at night and he needs the night for his digestive system to rest. For us the bolus feeding works because it is more like a "normal" eating schedule.

If you are already feeding her at night and she is doing well with it and still wanting to eat/drink during the day, then I would certainly ask about getting a pump.

 

[McZag]

I more often than not recommend that tube feedings (if tolerated) be given via pump at night. This allows the person, if able, to eat during the day and doesn't disrupt the school day as much as stopping for bolus feedings does.

 

[SereneOne]

I wonder why we were never given pump feedings and told to do it bolus??

 

[SereneOne]

She gets five to six tube feedings a day, every two and a half hours. I started setting the alarm at night to feed her, so that she would have an appetite during the day and she has eaten more since I began it, however, my husband is out of town/state Mon through Fri and I stopped taking my antidepressant (I have clinical depression) and I can't do that.

She also does not want her tube feedings but she does NOT eat enough to sustain weight, much less gain it. She does not like the taste of the Pediasure, but I think if I make an appointment with her GI and his nutritionist that we can come up with something. I know when she was younger they tried high calorie drinks, but she showed no interest. She does now drink about two to three chocolate milks with the few bites of food she eats several times a day. But the calories in those are about 150 vs the 273 in the Pediasure. I also figure the Pediasure has the best nutrients.

I will be making an appointment with her peds, but I just wanted to hear from those in the trenches so to speak to get an idea on how others handle things.

THank You!

 

[MarieS]

Both of my kids have feeding problems as a result of a genetic syndrome. As to why bolus vs pump, my understanding is that for some kids it is healthier for them to receive a bolus because this approximates the way the rest of us eat. It can make the transition to oral eating easier in some cases. Feeding all night long means that the digestive system never gets a rest. Some kids are fine on a pump all night, others don't do well.

If she won't drink the pediasure, have your tried flavoring it instead or using it for a pudding or smoothie? Also, my youngest doesn't like pediasure but he will drink Nutren Jr. We order it with a prescription. If she doesn't like any of this, have your tried Carnation Instant breakfast? It's not complete, but you can add things to it.

If she likes chocolate milk, there are things your can add to it to make it higher calorie--yogurt, ice cream, cream. I make smoothies for my son and can add in a liquid vitamin too.

Are you on the gtube listserv? You might want to consider joining. The list has lots of ideas for tube feeds, adding calories in (like butter, oils, cream, avocado) , etc.

http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SL1=GTUBE&H=LISTSERV.SYR.EDU

Instead of a canned formula, you may also want to consider trying a blenderized diet. Basically you use a high end blender ( ie Vitamix) to mix up regular foods and meals. This can be fed by gtube or fed orally.

http://www.blenderizeddiet.com/

Just a few ideas.