It all started with a cute baby boy and his g-tube....
When you become a special needs parent you are faced with many challenges, but feeding your child and how you feed your child isn't one many of us think about.
What is CHARGE syndrome?
My son, Ollie, was born with CHARGE Syndrome. Ollie isn't able to eat by mouth due to aspirating which led us to place a G-tube in his stomach. We didn't realize how much our sweet boy would struggle with gaining weight. Ollie spent the first six months of his life constantly throwing up. We turned to doctors for answers which included invasive surgeries that he wasn't strong enough to go through nor would the surgeries solve the issues.
During these trying times, I had been researching the blended diet and its benefits. The blended diet is just real food being blended and fed to tube fed people. I talked to doctors about the diet and the response was "food cannot go into the tube." I quickly realized the blended diet is not supported by the medical community. I was willing to give it a shot, I mean it is "just food",so there isn't any harm in trying this idea before they decide to move forward with the invasive surgeries. The day we started the blended diet with Ollie is the last day we saw a gray, projectile vomiting, defeated little guy. I'm here to tell you as we quickly approach Ollie's 3rd birthday that the blended diet saved our miracle boy!
Why choose a blended diet?
This journey with Ollie has led to my passion of teaching others about the blended diet. I know the blended diet is not a "one-size fits all" kind of thing, but I do believe it should be more accepted and supported in the medical community. Families of those with g-tubes should have the opportunity to learn and try the blended diet if they wish. I've had the honor of teaming up with a local dietician to spread the word about the blended diet. We will be hosting our first blended diet conference in February that will offer hands-on experiences...this will be the first of many conferences.
How does Sinchies help?
Now, the real question is how does Sinchies play a role in our day to day? Sinchies are fantastic for storing
blends and purees. The spout allows easy access to draw the blend up into a syringe. I've tried many storage options and Sinchies are by far the best and most convenient! I'm always concerned about contamination when it comes to storing the blends and having limited access, but Sinchies solves all of those issues. These easy to fill, reusable bags are available in five different sizes making it effortless for on the go needs. Thank you Sinchies for making my life as a special needs parent a little easier!
Ollie's momma,
Kaleigh
You can read more about Ollie's journey on his blog or Facebook Page (Ollie's Buddies)
olliesbuddies.blogspot.com
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