TUBE LIFE

tube life has quickly become normal life. admittedly, the first two days were hard. i only cried once. but when the feeding bag is clogged and the machine keeps beeping at you that's a totally normal response after being in the hospital for three nights, right?

after three weeks, the tube is just part of everyday life. we've figured out the best taping techniques and how to prevent bags from clogging. we are both pros at inserting the feeding tube and aren't phased when he pulls it out.

ari always has his NG tube in, but isn't always hooked up to the feeding machine. we do three feeds throughout the day and then he gets fed all night long. for his day time feedings, i usually hook him up and let him play. if he's on the move, i push the pole behind him. sometimes we put him in the highchair and let him "eat" dinner while his liquid dinner gets pumped into his stomach.

during the day, ari never messes with his tube. the nights are the hardest. it takes ari a lot longer to fall asleep now. with a distracting pole and a fun bag of formula to swat it, it can take him up to an hour to finally settle down. some nights he likes to play games and continually pull on the tube to make the machine beep. he knows that if the machine starts beeping, mom and dad come into his room. when ari gets tired, he rubs his face. rubbing his face usually results in the tube coming out of his nose. sadly, this means we can't ignore him at night like we had been doing for months.