My dd will be getting a G-tube soon. For a month or two she will have a PEG tube which is a long tube coming out of her stomach. I wonder if anyone here has ever had to deal with that and the carseat straps? Or knows someone who has? I know it kind of seems like a trivial thing to be concerned about given the whole picture of what we are dealing with. After the area heals, she will have what is called a button, and it is pretty much just that. So I don't forsee it being a problem. I am worried about the PEG though. The hospital in which she is having it done is 3 hours away, so when we bring her home she will be very sore and have to have the harness over the area. I would love to say, we aren't going anywhere until she gets the button, but that isn't possible because she will have a follow up with her docs and get weekly weigh ins. Anyway, just wondering if anybody has any experience with it and if they interfere with the straps on the seat.
-
Welcome! CLICK HERE to ask a question about the best carseat or safest choice for your family. Visitor posts subject to approval.
Does anywon have experience buckleing in a child with a G-Tube?
- Thread starter menfusse
- Start date
ADS | |
thepeach80
Senior Community Member
She's still having that many problems? I'm sorry! All the ones I've seen are higher on the tummy and kind of on the side so it shouldn't interfere w/ straps. I would ask ahead of time where they plan on putting it and be sure to check where he straps hit her etc. Hugs!
Thanks, Jennifer. I posted on IRD about her getting the tube. I could ask some of the tube moms there, but not everybody is a carseat nut, so I am not sure what kind of responses I get. She is kind of a mess right now. I am sleep feeding her 6 oz, and she is drinking maybe 4 oz during the day if we are lucky. Solids are hit or miss. Sometimes she eats a bit, sometimes she doesn't. Her weight is so far down now, there just isn't another option anymore. She doesn't eat enough for supplements to even make a difference. They are rescoping her with biopsies though, to see if she is still clear of eos. or if she is flaring. We shall see.
didymama
New member
i would pad the area with AMD pads or hand towels folded. i know that padding and carseats aren't the best combo, but you do not want that to get ripped out believe me!!! AMD pads would be good in the beginning since they are sterile packaged. ask the hospital for a bunch-they always have them. you can also use THICK maxi pads and use the sticky on the skin and kind of tape the tube end down with it. is this you older or younger? you will have more issues if it is you older.
best of luck, sorry she has to go through this. give her a hug for me. i work in LTC and have had a couple of tube feeds. not easy.
best of luck, sorry she has to go through this. give her a hug for me. i work in LTC and have had a couple of tube feeds. not easy.
My dd has a G tube. She started out with the long type of tube and had that for 7 months. Then she got a button which is much easier. She got it when she was 9 months and still in a Snug Ride. I was kind of worried about the straps, but they were okay, they didn't hit the button site.
When she had the long tube, we would coil it up and keep it inside her shirt if it had crotch snaps. If she was in something without snaps, we used mesh tubular dressings called Stockinette (I think it's actually for burns, but we just got it from the hospital). That kept the tube contained pretty well.
Now, dd is almost 4 and still has the button, and the carseat straps don't hit it at all, it's higher than the leg straps and further out than the chest straps. As long as you make sure the straps aren't caught on the long tube and pulling at a weird angle it should be fine, we used to keep her connected to feeds in the car a lot too with the pump since it was easier when she was contained.
The padding idea would probably work if the straps were making it uncomfortable. I would recommend not using anything to cover the tube once she's not in the car. We found that leaving the site alone with no gauze or anything was the best for preventing granulation tissue.
Good luck with everything, getting the G tube was a HUGE relief for us after 8 months of using an NG tube and struggling with weight loss.
When she had the long tube, we would coil it up and keep it inside her shirt if it had crotch snaps. If she was in something without snaps, we used mesh tubular dressings called Stockinette (I think it's actually for burns, but we just got it from the hospital). That kept the tube contained pretty well.
Now, dd is almost 4 and still has the button, and the carseat straps don't hit it at all, it's higher than the leg straps and further out than the chest straps. As long as you make sure the straps aren't caught on the long tube and pulling at a weird angle it should be fine, we used to keep her connected to feeds in the car a lot too with the pump since it was easier when she was contained.
The padding idea would probably work if the straps were making it uncomfortable. I would recommend not using anything to cover the tube once she's not in the car. We found that leaving the site alone with no gauze or anything was the best for preventing granulation tissue.
Good luck with everything, getting the G tube was a HUGE relief for us after 8 months of using an NG tube and struggling with weight loss.
Thanks. Its the baby. I thought about padding the area. I know that carseats and padding dont mix, but I thought at least for the trip home from the hospital when it would still be so tender.
Thanks so much for the tips! My head is spinning trying to wrap it around everything that is going to be happening soon. I have the HUGS on her DC's straps. Wonder if I should take them off?
This is a relief for us. She has been up and down since birth and I have always fought the tube when it was mentioned. But now, she is just steadily losing and too smart for any of my old tricks for getting her intake up. So, I can't fight it anymore. I will be glad to get some meat on her!
This is a relief for us. She has been up and down since birth and I have always fought the tube when it was mentioned. But now, she is just steadily losing and too smart for any of my old tricks for getting her intake up. So, I can't fight it anymore. I will be glad to get some meat on her!
didymama
New member
i don't know what she can eat, but raw milk will put weight on quickly. full fat, i thin kmore than whole milk. goat's milk will too.
she looks adorable by the way! my 19 mo is a peanut too. about 22lbs. his little brother weighs almost as much as him! i am just soo glad that he is still nursing, if he wasn't he would be much thinner.
she looks adorable by the way! my 19 mo is a peanut too. about 22lbs. his little brother weighs almost as much as him! i am just soo glad that he is still nursing, if he wasn't he would be much thinner.
Nope, no milk at all. Not even goats milk. She has multiple food allergies. We were supplementing what she was eating with some powdered fat and cals and adding oils to her foods, but she doesn't eat enough for it to make a difference. Even if she could have milk, she refuses most fluids. We just have no options left. Thanks so much though for the thoughts.
how tall is she? Im just curious. My mom said something about my cousin's DD at my sister's babyshower on the 18th. My DN is 16mo and I think 31" and barely 19lbs(clothed I believe). Mom said she looked FTT(mom worked with infants for a long time) and is worried about her. I dont talk to my cousin very often but I do know she barely eats. She nurses and gets bottles of formula still because she just wont eat. To me she looked fine, but your DD looks fine to me too... so obviously I cant go by looks.
Sorry to sidetrack but Im starting to worry about her now.
Sorry to sidetrack but Im starting to worry about her now.
Splash
New member
Since she is rear facing, I wouldn't worry too much about the padding or having to loosen the harness a smidge. Even if it's loose and padded (not insanely loose of course, but you know that), it's not likely to cause any real danger.
Maybe you could put her in the seat naked and make an outline of where the straps lay on her body. Then just mention to the surgeon that, if possible, you would like to avoid the tube being in the area of the harness. I know he doesn't have a whole lot of leeway where he (or she) puts it, but there is some room for negotiation.
Maybe you could put her in the seat naked and make an outline of where the straps lay on her body. Then just mention to the surgeon that, if possible, you would like to avoid the tube being in the area of the harness. I know he doesn't have a whole lot of leeway where he (or she) puts it, but there is some room for negotiation.
Suzibeck
Active member
My friend's little boy got a G-tube with an open Nissen Fundoplication (reflux surgery) shortly before he turned 2. Even with his big incision from the Nissen, he did OK in his carseat. The tube and incision were to the side of his harness. Does the DC have loose straps at the abdomen like the MA does? My MA is always loose across the belly, even when the shoulders are nice and tight. I would think that you won't have a problem there. My friend's little guy was up and running around the yard 24 hours after his surgery too, he bounced back very quickly.
My youngest dd was ftt as a baby because of her reflux. She wouldn't eat much and I had to avoid all of the high allergen foods because of family history of food allergy. It is so hard to get in calories when they refuse to eat AND you to have to avoid the higher fat foods. It sounds like you are making the right choice to go with a tube, I bet you will see amazing changes in your baby! We were fortunate and never had to go the tube route, finally controlling the reflux got dd slowly growing better. Best of luck!
My youngest dd was ftt as a baby because of her reflux. She wouldn't eat much and I had to avoid all of the high allergen foods because of family history of food allergy. It is so hard to get in calories when they refuse to eat AND you to have to avoid the higher fat foods. It sounds like you are making the right choice to go with a tube, I bet you will see amazing changes in your baby! We were fortunate and never had to go the tube route, finally controlling the reflux got dd slowly growing better. Best of luck!
thepeach80
Senior Community Member
That doesn't sound too bad. Evan was 22# at 16 mos and is now only 24# and 33" at 27mos. He gets weighed again next week.
Suzibeck
Active member
I was told 4 years ago, when my dd was dx ftt that it is dx based on one of two things:
1. dropping below the 3rd percentile in height and/or weight. or
2. crossing 2 major percentile lines.
My dd was right about the 3rd percentile in each when she was dx. She had dropped from the 50th in height (crossing 3 major percentile lines-25th, 10th and 5th) and dropping from the 75th in weight (crossing 4 major percentile lines).
As long as a child is growing on a curve, height and weight don't really matter that much. So, if a child is at the 3rd in weight and 15th in height and stays about the same percentiles from visit to visit, that is fine. It is when they drop from a high percentile to a low one that a problem may be there. My dd was consistently dropping off the charts. I hate the term ftt because my dd was thriving in every other way, she was simply failing to grow. I just pulled out my dd's growth chart. She was 19lbs, 5 oz and 29 3/4 inches at 15 months. She was still labeled at that point, I believe, but she was growing better after starting Prevacid at 12 months.
She is 29-30 inches and 16lbs 14 oz fully clothed. The pic of her in my siggy, was a little bit ago and she has lost a little more since then. Looks can be a bit decieving...especially in pics. Right now, my dd actually has some distention to her belly (think the children of Ethiopia), so that tends to throw you off. You think, well look at that little gut! But, you can also see her ribs and spine and though her legs look a bit filled out...its actually skin that you can just pick up off her legs. Holding her is the worst. There is just nothing to her. As for actually diagnosing FTT, it really has to do with staying on a curve, rather than how big they are. A child can be small, even on the 3rd % of a chart, but as long as they stay on that curve...they are growing fine. So if your cousin's little girl is falling down the chart for growth, there may be a problem. It also has to do with height to weight ration and their head size. My dd had stayed proportioned for quiet some time, although she was still small. But the closer she got to age one, the further down that ratio went. Her head is somewhere on the 50th%, where as her height is on the 10th and her weight isn't even on the chart. There are even kids that get so sick with FTT that their heads stop growing.
thepeach80
Senior Community Member
I'm scared of a FTT dx, but it's not the end of the world I guess. Our dr is great and knows I have smaller kids so that helps, but Ilana is getting farther under the chart at every appt.
It is a horrible term isn't? Emily is thriving in every other way. She hit milestones early and talks up a storm already. But, because she is just getting soooo under weight and continues to refuse to eat or drink, they are afraid her development might fall off...as am I. It is so hard when one of the most basic instincts of a mother is to nourish your child, but they refuse to eat.
She has always been small, the biggest thing that makes mom worry is that she was almost 9lbs at birth, BUT within the 2 day hospital stay she lost 2lbs. She was *extremely* swollen when she was born, not fat. Mom doesnt understand the waterweight thing that happens in newborns during birth. I think DN was overstressed during the last few weeks and really packed on the water weight. Then as soon as she was 'free' she was able to get rid of it. She nursed her exclusively in the beginning and she steadily put on weight, it was just only a few ounces at a time instead of pounds. That is another thing that my mom doesnt understand. This is our paternal cousin and both my sister and I had a baby that gained 5lbs the first month! but DN has not and I think it is because those 'bigger' genes come from her side and not his. So it would make sense that my paternal cousin who came from a tiny lady(and man) with herself being tiny(and her partner) that they would birth a tiny child. But it was that almost 9lbs that mom cant get over.
Besides that she seems to have had a steady gain of ounces. But I do know she doesnt eat much or well, so she still gets formula and breastmilk.
Besides that she seems to have had a steady gain of ounces. But I do know she doesnt eat much or well, so she still gets formula and breastmilk.
Aleah has reflux and her doctor told me that she was 5th percentile weight. I was devastated and felt like I was a horrible mom and I must have been starving my baby. (My family always has HUGE babies, and they were always telling me how tiny she was. But I am also the first person in my family to exclusively nurse and wait and not rush on solids) It was pretty hard. Now she is 7 moths and 17
(maybe 18 now) pounds, and I am comfortable with her weight. I know this must be a difficult time for you, and while I have no advice on her harness, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with this newest chapter.
(maybe 18 now) pounds, and I am comfortable with her weight. I know this must be a difficult time for you, and while I have no advice on her harness, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with this newest chapter.
You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.
 |  |  |
Please Support Car-Seat.Org with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC