[tri-med] Re: What do you do - feeding pump broke at night!

We have a Kangaroo pump supplied by Apria as well. I
agree with your mom for the most part. I often switch
between gravity and pump all with the same bag and
extension tube. Of course it is easier at a higher
rate. I don't understand what the others writing about
using a wider diameter tube mean but perhaps it would
make adjusting the flow easier. I do recall having
received a box of gravity bags a long time ago, and I
don't think that the tubing was any wider in diameter.
If its only that straight extension tube that's
different then I can't see that making anything
better.

I find that the flow though the tube changes over
time: viscosity increases as a coating forms on the
tubing, tube gives more and flattens under the
variable flow roller valve thingy, and the pressure on
the fluid decreases as the bag empties. So somebody
would have to check several times anyway. It is not
clear how you measured the volume for your rate, but
the widely used guideline for estimating volume by
drops is 20 drops = 1 mL. I would have suggested
trying for 20 drops a minute (~60 mL/hr) then watched
it for 10 - 20 minutes for things to equilibrate, then
check again in an hour or so etc...

William

--- Irene Smith <irene67@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> It is scary when you have no good way to feed your
> child and it is the 
> middle of the night.  We have been pump feeding
> Caroline for 1 1/2 yrs 
> without any broken pump/power outage problems yet,
> until last night.  It was 
> terrible.  I barely sleep now as it is due to being
> in the last stages of 
> pregnancy, so the thought of getting up all night
> for bolus feeds sounds 
> overwhelming.  Luckily, Apria had a new pump to us
> by this afternoon.  I 
> will hope lightning won't strike twice.  Apria also
> has an after hours 
> answering service and someone on call over the
> weekends so I would assume if 
> this happened again, we would still be able to get a
> pump by the next day no 
> matter what day of the week is was.
> 
> I was thinking of asking Apria what their "expert"
> opinion is on this issue. 
> My mom was a nurse in her earlier days and she is
> adamant that gravity feeds 
> should be no problem, it just takes some work until
> you learn how to do it. 
> I don't know if Apria nurses have any advice, but I
> will check it out next 
> week.  I don't mind bolus feeds during the
> day....but at night?? Yikes!
> 
> Thanks to all!
> Irene
> (Christina -3  y.o,  Caroline - born 6/28/03 with
> partial trisomy 17p, AND 
> baby #3 due 6/16/05)
>
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carolinerochelle
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Debbie" <debbwebb@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <tri-med@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 6:41 PM
> Subject: [tri-med] Re: What do you do - feeding pump
> broke at night!
> 
> 
> > Don't know about feedings like you moms do, but a
> battery and even a
> > generator wouldn't do much good if the pump was
> just plain broken... what 
> > a
> > scary thought to not be able to feed your child!
> Esp if it late at night 
> > on
> > a weekend. Would kids just have to do without if
> there was not other type 
> > of
> > feeds that worked?
> > Sorry, no advice here, just questions.
> > You guys are very special in my book.
> > Debbie, mom to Claire (t18 2yo)
> > http://debbwebb.com/Claire/
> > On 4/29/05, Loren Warnemuende
> <lorenwarn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>
> >> What a pain! I don't have very good advice--just
> commiseration. The
> >> few times that we've done gravity feed (once
> right after Keren got her
> >> g-tube, and once during the big blackout the
> other year) we had the
> >> same problems you had. It sounds like a common
> problem. I'd say your
> >> solution of small and frequent boulos feedings is
> about the best for
> >> meantime.... Just not all night!!!
> >>
> >> Loren (wife to Kraig, mom to Keren, T18, two
> years old (9/27/02), and
> >> new little one due 7/13/05)
> >> Southeast Michigan
> >> http://webpages.eng.wayne.edu/~ad6075
> >>
> >> On Friday, April 29, 2005, at 08:22 AM, Irene
> Smith wrote:
> >>
> >> > Last night, after just putting Caroline to bed,
> her feeding pump
> >> > broke. I
> >> > had just gotten a new pump since our old pump
> was due for a
> >> > calibration. We
> >> > were so furious and unsure of what to do. After
> about an hour of
> >> > fussing
> >> > around, we tried a gravity feed. However, we
> really had no clue HOW
> >> > to do a
> >> > gravity feed. When we woke up in the middle of
> the night, she had
> >> > barely
> >> > gotten any food at all. My husband bumped up
> the rate of drops a
> >> > little
> >> > (who knows how much) and in the morning, we
> still had a ton of food
> >> > left
> >> > over. She ended up getting about 1/2 (maybe
> less) of her usual feed.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
> >> www.trisomyonline.org
> <http://www.trisomyonline.org>
> >> Families Helping Families On-line
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > -- 
> > Time flies when your having rum.
> > Sleep is for Pansies.
> >
> > Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible
> and receives the
> > impossible!
> >
> >                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
> >                       www.trisomyonline.org
> >                  Families Helping Families On-line
> >
> > 
> 
>                   Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
>                        www.trisomyonline.org
>                   Families Helping Families On-line
> 
> 

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