The G-Tube Guide I Needed: From Fear to Confidence with a Medically Complex Child

If your child has a G-tube and you have ever felt like you were sent home knowing the basics but still had a million questions, this guide was written for you.

The G-Tube Guide I Needed is a practical, parent-to-parent guide for everyday life with a G-tube. It is not a memoir or a medical textbook. It is the kind of resource I wish someone had handed me when my daughter first entered the G-tube world.

I wrote this as a G-tube mom after realizing how much of this life you end up learning as you go. I share pieces of our own experience throughout the book when they are helpful, but the focus is on giving families practical information they can actually use with their own child.

Inside the paperback, you will find information about:

• Understanding what a G-tube is and the equipment that comes with it

• Using the Infinity feeding pump

• Using the Kangaroo OMNI pump

• Gravity feeding

• Syringe feeding

• Cleaning and caring for the G-tube site

• Finding a dietitian who understands blended tube feeding

• Understanding formula ingredients and asking questions about your child’s nutrition

• Making real-food blends

• Changing a low-profile G-tube button

• Knowing when a problem may be able to wait until morning and when emergency care may be needed

• Venting the G-tube

• Giving medications and pills through the tube

• Organizing multiple medications

• Using homemade blends during hospital stays

• Understanding and working with DME companies

• What to do when your child pulls at the tube

• Tubing and G-tube safety hazards

• Swimming with a G-tube

• Reassurance for the emotional side of becoming a G-tube parent

• Helpful checklists and questions to keep on hand

This book was created because the little everyday things matter too.

What do you do when the pump will not stop alarming?

What happens if the button comes out?

How do you manage several medications?

How do you advocate for real-food blends when you keep getting brushed off?

How do you know what is normal and what needs more help?

Those are the kinds of questions this guide was made to help with.

I am a parent, not a doctor, and this book is not meant to replace your child’s medical team. Every child is different. Instead, my goal is to help parents feel more informed, more prepared, and more confident asking questions and caring for their child at home.

Want even more? The hardcover is the extended edition and includes additional chapters and information that are not included in this paperback. If you are looking for the most complete version of The G-Tube Guide I Needed, choose the hardcover edition.