Couple more tips
:
1) The first day really might be uncomfortable. My daughter was absolutely dreading put it in the second day, but it was surprisingly easy and her nose and throat were less sore. Within a week or so, she was really good at inserting it and her throat and nose did not hurt at all.
2) You want the smallest tube possible. We used a 6Fr tube - which is an infant size - but it worked well. They're thin and flexible like spaghetti.
3)Typically hospitals tell you to use Duoderm and Tegaderm. That's fine if she is keeping it in but if she's inserting it every night, it's very sticky and hard to remove and of course, that is not comfortable or fun! We used Hypafix and that worked well. We got it on Amazon but your DME supplier can probably get you some.
4)If she's inserting it every night, then one side might be easier than the other. My daughter could insert it with no issues at all on the left side, but using her right nostril was much harder and it took several tries. She mostly used the left side and sometimes switched to give it a break.
5) It might take some trial and error to find a formula she can tolerate. Also, finding the perfect rate is also trial and error. Hang in there. You will figure it out.
My kiddo was really dreading the tube but once she got used to it, she realized it was MUCH easier than drinking formula and she finally began to gain weight and feel better.
My daughter has officially had every kind of feeding tube - NG, NJ, G, GJ and J tubes - so if you have any questions, please ask!
Good luck!
