Last night while we were at the concert, good friend Karen K came over to stay with Braska. She has two cuties herself, Maddy and Grace, but they got to spend the evening with their dad. Braska's had a bit of Must-be-with-Mommy-itis lately, so I was hoping that this wouldn't be one of those nights for her.
We've left Braska with friends before, but we typically arrange not to be gone over a feeding time. But this time we couldn't quite work that out. So Karen came over early enough to listen to my run-through of the important info.
~If you want to try to feed her orally, here's the food, already thickened.
~Be sure to use this particular spoon.
~She won't open her mouth, but she sticks her tongue way out when she wants more.
~You have to have a spoonful of food ready and within sight for her to tell you she wants more. If it's not there, she seems to assume there's no more to be had.
~Push down slightly on her tongue and then into the mouth. She'll close her lips, then pull the spoon straight out.
~Don't use the upper lip or gum to scrape the spoon, coming out upward. Must come straight out.
~For milk feeding, here's the syringe and extension tube.
~Make sure to have a washcloth underneath the end of the g-tube when you open it. Stuff comes out.
~Prime the extension tube first to avoid air in the belly. (Demonstration given.)
~Hold the syringe of fluid just a few inches over her belly, as the higher it is, the faster it goes. Sometimes too fast can upset things.
~If it starts to slow completely or she starts to cough up little bits of milk, you're done, and she's full.
~Otherwise, she can take all 6 ounces.
~When finished, again make sure the washcloth is under. Backflow will happen.
~Rinse the syringe, extension tube, and bottle right away to avoid clogging.
~Try to burp, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work.
They played and laughed and played. Braska ate marvelous for her oral feed and had no issue with her tube feed, and she went to bed like a champ, as always. Karen reported a good evening all around and even got in some peace and quiet with some always-important Seinfeld. God bless you, Karen. Much appreciated!
We've left Braska with friends before, but we typically arrange not to be gone over a feeding time. But this time we couldn't quite work that out. So Karen came over early enough to listen to my run-through of the important info.
~If you want to try to feed her orally, here's the food, already thickened.
~Be sure to use this particular spoon.
~She won't open her mouth, but she sticks her tongue way out when she wants more.
~You have to have a spoonful of food ready and within sight for her to tell you she wants more. If it's not there, she seems to assume there's no more to be had.
~Push down slightly on her tongue and then into the mouth. She'll close her lips, then pull the spoon straight out.
~Don't use the upper lip or gum to scrape the spoon, coming out upward. Must come straight out.
~For milk feeding, here's the syringe and extension tube.
~Make sure to have a washcloth underneath the end of the g-tube when you open it. Stuff comes out.
~Prime the extension tube first to avoid air in the belly. (Demonstration given.)
~Hold the syringe of fluid just a few inches over her belly, as the higher it is, the faster it goes. Sometimes too fast can upset things.
~If it starts to slow completely or she starts to cough up little bits of milk, you're done, and she's full.
~Otherwise, she can take all 6 ounces.
~When finished, again make sure the washcloth is under. Backflow will happen.
~Rinse the syringe, extension tube, and bottle right away to avoid clogging.
~Try to burp, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work.
They played and laughed and played. Braska ate marvelous for her oral feed and had no issue with her tube feed, and she went to bed like a champ, as always. Karen reported a good evening all around and even got in some peace and quiet with some always-important Seinfeld. God bless you, Karen. Much appreciated!
I'm glad it went so well for her!!
ReplyDeleteWe had a fabulous time, she was a perfect Angel!! Don't forget to mention that I am pretty sure that you have beeboppin' musical little lady on your hands. I am still impressed that she can keep a beat like that:-) And we all know she got that from her mama. Not me, I'll be honky clappin' my way through life with the best of 'em! Karen K
ReplyDeleteYay Karen!
ReplyDelete