Tube feeding

Tube feeding is a way to give your child nutrition, fluids, and medicines through a tube into the stomach or intestines. The tube may be placed through the skin of the belly during surgery. Or it may go into the nose, down the throat, and into the stomach.

Tube feeding is done when a health problem makes it hard for your child to get nutrition or gain weight by eating. Depending on your child's condition, tube feeding may be needed for only a short time. For some children, it may be needed much longer.

Some premature babies can't be fed by mouth right after birth.

If your baby was born before the gestational age of 32 to 34 weeks, he or she can't feed by mouth. The reasons are:

• Poor coordination (or lack) of sucking, swallowing, and gag reflex.
• Weakness of both the oral and stomach muscles.
• Small stomach capacity.

Until your baby is stronger and more mature, tube feeding is used. It can feed milk, formula, or a combination of the two directly into the stomach.

Some premature babies are given intravenous (I.V.) feedings. These include babies whose gastrointestinal tract can't yet digest properly or is affected by necrotizing enterocolitis. The feedings are given through a tube into the umbilical site or into a vein.

When your baby is mature enough to feed from a nipple, you can start oral feedings. Over days or weeks, you can gradually replace more tube or I.V. feedings with oral feedings.