July 2003:  Nolan was in the NICU for 3 weeks

Coming home, finally

Nolan was unable to breastfeed or bottle feed sufficiently.  His hypotonia (low tone), inability to properly coordinate the process of suck and swallow, significantly decreased energy, and mis-aligned jaw (non-fusion of his mandible) led to placement of a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube.  The NG tube irritated his esophagus and made breathing during feedings more difficult, and there was a danger of scarring from long-term use. The medical tape that held it in place was the gentlest available, but still it created raised welts on his face.  In addition, the NG tube was very stressful to insert and place properly.  I had to replace it at least one time per week, and often more frequently when at times he pulled it out by himself.  I used measurements and a stethoscope to ensure that I had placed the NG tube correctly into his stomach; if placed improperly, the contents could back up into his lungs.

August 2003

October 2003

Nolan had a gastrostomy tube inserted surgically in September 2003 at 3 months of age, due to continued feeding problems and failure to thrive.  (You can see the bulge in his shirt on the left hand side.) The g-tube replaced the naso-gastric (NG) tube seen in pictures above, which he had for the first three months of life.  We tried for many weeks to get him to take a complete bottle so we could get him off of tube feeding completely, but he did not have the strength or energy to finish more than half of the ounces he needed for proper growth.  The g-tube had its own problems but we were grateful to get rid of the NG tube.  Nolan had the g-tube removed in June 2004.  He still bears a hole scar in his belly (healed on the inside) that looks like a second belly button.

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