Thursday, February 10, 2011

Tube Feeding Awareness Week

As a food blogger, I spend a lot time thinking about food, looking at food, eating food, making food. . .you get the idea. I *heart* food!



And as a mother, I need to make the best choices for my children, as hard as they are. My son, Baby M, has a feeding tube in his belly that he's fed through.  It was one of the hardest decisions we have ever made in our lives, but it is keeping our son alive. 


But sometimes, when I'm feeding him in public I see the people looking at what I'm doing, like my child has an arm coming out of his head. I feel them wondering what's wrong with my baby, what did I do to cause him to not eat, what kind of mother I must be that my child needs to be fed through a tube, and not through his mouth.

And I hate that feeling!!  So I want to spread awareness about this.  Feeding tubes are a LAST option for parents.  We have tried everything, we have eliminated every food that causes problems with our baby.  We've watched out baby deteriorate before our eyes despite every effort on our part. We have had test after test after test ran to determine ANYTHING.  And a lot of us have had conclusions, but some of us still have no answer.  And so a feeding tube becomes the only way to feed our child.

I think someday my little baby will learn to eat.  His oxygen needs will eventually be low enough that he can handle eating and breathing at the same time.  And someday he'll learn to LIKE having food in his mouth, and he'll be so grateful that I LOVE to cook for him.

So if you have some time, please check out the website Feeding Tube Awareness.  They have a lot of great information on there, with stories and beautiful pictures with lots of tube fed children!

I *heart* my baby boy!
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7 comments:

  1. What a cutie!
    I think people are looking only because they are curious not judging and certainly not thinking you are a bad Mommy.

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  2. I've actually never seen a baby being fed through a feeding tube outside of a hospital. I know if I saw someone out in public doing it, though, I would just assume he had health issues and that the parents were taking care of him/her.

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  3. Krystal ~ I just found your blog through my friend Liz's (12 Crafts....) and I just wanted to write and say, already I can tell you are such a wonderful Mom! Your little boy is beautiful and it brings tears to my eyes to imagine what he, and you have gone, and are going through. He is so blessed to have parents like you two. Keep up the great work, and keep believing!! God can do amazing things!

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  4. Just found your blog through 12 crafts. 15 years ago (yeesh, I feel old!) I babysat a little boy who was born without an oesophagus, so until they could make him one (out of his intestine, the miracles of modern medicine amaze me!), he had to be fed through a tube in his stomach, too (about 9 or 10 months). Watching what that family went through I have *some* idea of the life you live and the struggles that come with it. And I must say, you HAVE to be one pretty amazing Momma to make it through and have such a positive attitude. Your boy is beautiful and a true testament to his amazing parents. Thanks for sharing about this. I'm sure some day he WILL thoroughly enjoy your cooking!

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  5. You are a rock star. Your little boy is adorable. I really hope people are not stupid enough to judge someone based on how they feed their child. But, there are stupid people everywhere, and if anyone should be judged it should be their mothers for not instilling a sense of compassion in them. :) I believe most people stare out of curiousity, or simply because that is one adorable boy!

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  6. Hi Krystal,

    I just found your blog through a link from another blog. I wanted to comment and first say what a sweet angel your little boy looks like and what a blessing it is that you are able to nourish him and keep him healthy through the feeding tube. I have MS and a rare form of arthritis and have had people yell at me when I was trying to walk into the pharmacy at Kmart to get my medication to help me walk again. I was walking slowly and they yelled "Get out of the way, cripple!" These were grown women at least in their 30's with older children in the back seat of their SUV. There are mean people everywhere and you have to overlook the judging and know that you are doing your best and nothing else matters. I will pray for you and your family with hopes everything gets better for that sweet little angel. God Bless and take care!

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  7. Can we have an update on how you and Baby M are doing?

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I love your comments!