Tubie Friends for kids on Feeding Tubes

A hard fact of life for a child in need of an organ transplant is that many of them will need a feeding tube at some point during their illness. The illness often causes the children to lose their appetites and they are no longer able to eat or drink enough on their own. Optimum nutrition is important for the children so they can properly cope with their disease and stay hydrated. It's also necessary to keep their nutrition in the best shape prior to transplantation. Receiving an organ is a serious surgery and the children's body needs as much nutrition as possible to be able to handle the surgery and to be able to heal well afterwards.

So what happens when your child can no longer eat or drink enough on their own? This is when most doctors will order a feeding tube. Your doctor will decide which one is best for your child. It is important to work closely with your child's doctor as each child is different and responds to their illnesses differently. 

Once it is decided your child will need a feeding tube, depending on their age, they might find this to be a trying and scary time. As infants they may not understand what is happening to them. As children get older they may feel self conscious. Whatever your child may be going through at the moment, I came across a great website that may take some of the anxiety and stress out of this situation. 

I stumbled across Tubie Friends. This is a great website where they will get a Tubie Friends Surgeon to gather information and help create a stuffed animal with a feeding tube made especially for your child. It is definitely something to look into if you have a child who needs a feeding tube. I always like to find a way to ease the stresses our kids have to deal with. Check them out at http://www.tubiefriends.com/