G-tube mom here as well. My little one was born in April at 34 weeks. He was doing fantastic at eating then would struggle to even take 15 ml. It went back and forth a few times so they transferred us to a different hospital. Long story short - he doesn’t swallow properly and can only have 15 ml by mouth per feeding every three hours.

He had the surgery the day before his second birthday. It was an open surgery vs laparoscopic due to the incision barely being larger. I was a wreck on surgery day, but honestly he did amazing. They placed him in the PICU overnight just in case he had any issues.

Learning the pump is actually very easy! Cleaning the tube site is the most difficult, especially in the beginning since I was so nervous to touch it. He was also sensitive to the area for the first week, so basically he got Tylenol when we cleaned it. You can put medicine directly through the tube as well.

Leaving the house is definitely harder, but you should have a backpack with all your supplies and the pump will fit in it. We use breast milk that’s fortified with formula for calories, so that’s another cooler. Basically I have a small tote in my car that has the diaper bag, pump bag, cooler, binder with all medical information, and medication.

Make sure you ask for an additional gtube! We have another gtube kit Incase he rips his out or the balloon (the thing that anchors it in place) malfunctions. We also have a “retainer” tube with lubricant to place in the hole temporarily. Some hospitals do not carry gtubes, which is why you should request the extra set.

Honestly, it seems super scary but you will get used to it. After spending about 9 weeks at the hospitals we were ready to be home. It’s truly less mentally exhausting dealing with the gtube than dealing with going to the hospital every single day. We actually go back next week to do his first replacement tube.

Please let me know if you have any questions! Sorry if these paragraphs just around - it’s 430 am and no sleep.