In December 2018, my baby girl was born 8 weeks early due to pregnancy complications. She had a preexisting genetic muscle condition that was confirmed during the pregnancy. During her stay in the NICU, we learned that babies do not get the "suck, swallow, breathe" reflex until 34 weeks. We chugged along as she recovered from jaundice and learned how to breathe on her own. At 34 weeks we started her with a tiny amount of milk. It proved to be extremely difficult for her, and even though we practiced everyday, she grew so tired after just 15 mls (that’s just 1/2 oz!). We decided at the end of January 2019 to put in the G-Tube. It was a hard decision but the best decision for her!
She was released a few weeks later and once we were settled at home, I realized she needed a few mommy made outfits that would work for her G-Tube. In March, however, she was put on a continuous feed due to illness and since she was hooked up all day we needed something that would work for that. On top of that the site got irritated--due to an allergic reaction to the gauze we were using--so she was constantly pulling at it. This meant we needed romper style outfits instead of 2-pieces that worked easier with feeding tubes. With my sewing skills, I knew there had to be a way to make this work. So, I started experimenting and this is how I came up with what I am calling the “feeding tube pocket” .
