Sunday, July 22, 2007

Why Parents Never Sleep


Every night around 4am Matthew's feeding pump starts to alarm telling us that his overnight feeds are done. When I went in this morning I discovered the feeding tube wrapped around his neck and shoulder area. The older Matthew gets, the more he seems to thrash around in bed while asleep. It's ironic that the machine which "giveths" life could "taketh" it away. While the solution is easy (we'll go back to running the tube out his pajama leg), the mere thoughts this image provokes are, nonetheless, unsettling.

12 comments:

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Funny thing is...
I had just been in his room around 3 am to check on him...
and he was on his side... fine and dandy!!

Uh ya... this scares the crap out of me....

back down his pajama leg!!

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

We had two reasons to stop going down his pajama leg a couple weeks ago ...

one.... he has summer pj's w/o legs... they are little shorts...

two... he kept getting his legs all wrapped up.....
and sometimes when he tugs on tubing too much...it'll tip over the feeding pump....and then I'm afraid he'll pull on his mic key too much....


so...
we thought we would string thru side of crib directly out his tummy (which we tape to his tummy to help keep him from ripping out the g~tube from belly)

BUT THIS WILL OBVIOUSLY NOT WORK.... SO GLAD THIS WAS JUST A WARNING TO US...

we have a baby monitor so we can usually hear him moving around..


ugh.. scary.

Chris H said...

Live and learn, always learning I'm sure! I cared for a wee girl for 3 years who was fed via a gastrostomy every 4 hours so can appreciate how good it is to use one overnight for Matthew, just go back to down the leg mate, at least you can sleep easier knowing his tube won't strangle him. Sure hope he can get over his food aversion and get off the tube in the next few years.

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Tonight ... the tubing back down his jammie leg ...

and put a big tube sock on his leg to keep tubing up away from his feet as well ...

and as usual...
we cover up the exposed tubing w/a blanket.

I'll be checking on him a lot more tonight...

Grandma Sue said...

Well it sounds like you did all the right things, but you just never know which choice is right. I'm sure that it was a terrible scare. It will be wonderful when he will no longer have to have the feeding tube. We'll just keep hoping and praying that he will start eating the regular way.

You two must be exhausted.

Love, Grandma Sue

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Sue, I know I am! It's been two long years of "not good" sleep.

Grandma W said...

Good things come to those who wait, so the saying goes.......

I think his little guardian angel keeps a close watch over our beautiful Matthew. It was not accidental that Michael checked on him when he did.

I often think it is the night feedings that take away Matthew's hunger. He eats more at night than during the day hours. It is sort of like he has his days and nights switched. It is such a "catch 22".

You must be doing it right, though, because Matthew has thrived on the mixture of food, love and care he has been given.

Nothing remains the same forever, and "this too shall pass". Your rewards are ahead. Life will just get better and better. Love grandma wright

Terry said...

Awww... sleeping babies are the sweetest...He's still cute even, potentially strangled. Its good you caught it before anything really bad happened. The little ones have a way of doing things to scare us!

Anonymous said...

my gosh, i can simply imagine the panic instantaneaously stopping your heart.....magoo, magoo, magoo...EAT child!! PLEASE!!!

you two are so amazing...i know i have said it already, yet i must remind you and us all....God Chose you! He would not be so cruel to you, and the rest of us vicariously watching your lives and magoo's progress....well, i do know better, if it were His will, then it would be. however, i trust the Lord did not bring you all this far to allow an irreversable situation. i simply do not believe He would.

God Bless the King's....and His angels, like the one who gently woke Mike to go look in on magoo...
Thank you Lord for this day!!!
antinesi

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, that would definitely cause me some panic. I hope he can get off the tube soon.

Flawed And Disorderly said...

He is gorgeous, but that is simply terrifying!!!

Wanna_B_slimmer said...

Hello there I saw where you asked about moving photos on Eli's blog...
When i get them all at the top...I then left click on the one I want to moive and then keepin my finger on the mouse..drag it to where I want it....
I dont know if thats the only way.. but thats how I do it...
I usually type away then add my photos and then you can add more typing as you go along...i just worked it out trial and error....
I hope this helped a wee bit...