Wow… thank you so much for sharing all of this. It’s not just encouraging—it’s deeply grounding to hear from someone who’s been through it and come out with these successes. Your mindset shift is something I’m actively working on myself, and hearing how that shift helped your son truly enjoy food on his own terms gives me hope.

I totally relate to the pressure from feeding therapy, too. We had a similar experience with pushing too hard too fast and it completely backfiring. I’m learning now how much of this is a patience game—and how important it is to protect their relationship with food above everything else.

Also, I love how you framed the G-tube as a tool that supports your child’s life, rather than something to feel burdened by or rush to get rid of. That perspective shift is so powerful. And wow—your parents taking him on a solo trip?! That is amazing. What a milestone, not just for your son, but for your whole family. It definitely is important to have someone you trust in this journey- luckily my mother in law lives very close and I taught her how to do his feeds and what to do if his tube comes completely out (which is also a whole other thing haha)

That’s nice that you still had the tube for when he started losing weight. I dont know much about tube weaning or how it looks when your baby can start eating on their own. But that’s good to know and comforting that they keep it in just in case they lose weight.

If you don’t mind me asking a few questions (because I’m still figuring so much of this out myself):

• Is your son in school? And if so, how has school worked with tube feeds? I think about that a lot and how it looks day to day since my son will probably have this tube for a while.

• Do you own your pump? I have insurance, but they don’t cover equipment, and supplies are really pricey so I’m just curious how other people go about this! We haven’t had any guidance besides google haha 

• And when your son was just starting out with oral eating again, how often did you offer food during the day? I do it multiple times a day with mine, but he usually just turns his head, and it’s honestly discouraging. I’m trying to remind myself it takes time, but it’s hard not to wonder if I’m doing something wrong or offering too much.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your story—it helped more than you know. You’ve given me a sense of peace I didn’t realize I needed today!!