Feeding Tube: Three Years Later

I made a button for me so McKenzie wouldn’t feel alone in her journey.

December 31, 2015, McKenzie had her feeding tube placed and here we are three years later. Being honest and transparent here, I didn’t want it and I hated that damn tube for the longest. I didn’t want her going through another surgery and the feeding tube made me feel like a failure. The feeding and nursing relationship between a baby and mother is so intimate and I was robbed of that experience. The feeding tube could help her where I couldn’t.

As much as I hated the feeding tube, it helped us a lot. She refused to eat or drink…fine…I will hook you up. No worries about dehydration or her not getting enough to grow. We’ve worked on our feeding relationship and her relationship with food for the past three years and she’s made tremendous progress. Shae McFadden and Jenny McGlothlin have been instrumental in helping me create an environment where McKenzie is comfortable and thrives. It’s been hard on me, but Kenzie rolled with it until she became old enough to realize not every child has one.

Now, the feeding tube doesn’t bother me. Am I ready for it to come out? Hell yea! But only when she’s truly ready…no rush. If she can make it through cold and flu season without using the tube, it will come out in May. If we use it…well, she keeps it a little bit longer. And I must wear mine a little longer too.

If your child has a feeding tube, what were your fears? How old was your child when it was removed?