Tube to Table

Episode 38: What's Love Got to Do With It

Welcome back to another episode of Tube To Table! This week, Heidi and Jennifer are talking all about love and attachment. How do loving and attached relationships impact tube weaning or your child learning how to eat? If there was ever a time that we are all more aware of building these relationships, it is right now. Things can seem hard right now, but as we’re all having more video calls, calling our grandparents more, or reaching out to friends, it’s important to think about how attachment and relationships play a role in tube weaning. In previous episodes, we’ve talked a lot about building loving, trusting feeding relationships, but we have never talked about WHY that’s important. Feeding and attachment are so closely linked that it is impossible to separate out the parent/child relationship around food. When that is separated, there can be a negative long-term impact on the child. Jennifer and Heidi dive into why feeding and attachment are so important and how you can help build that attachment with your child to strengthen the feeding relationship. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Episode 37: Trying to Wean During a Quarantine

We hope everybody is well and staying close at home, keeping themselves and everyone in their community safe. In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Heidi and Jennifer are back together to answer a question we have been receiving from many families. Is this a good time to move forward with a wean? In the past, we have talked about how high stress times can be a difficult time to wean, but now that we are looking at the long-term view and unknown of how long this “new normal” may last, it’s important to address the pros and cons. There may be multiple opportunities that this crisis lends towards children with feeding tubes and their journey towards oral eating. Throughout this episode, Jennifer and Heidi will break down the important pros and cons to consider when choosing to wean during a quarantine. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Episode 36: When There's a Pause in Therapy

At Thrive, we miss seeing our families in person, but we are so happy we have been able to reach out and see our families online! For many children and families, this can be a challenging time because therapy is on hold or transitioning to teletherapy. Therapists are struggling to reach out to children, parents have multiple tasks to take care of, and families are feeling overwhelmed. In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Heidi is joined by Jamie, a member of the Tube Weaning team. Our team at Thrive wants to reframe many of the things that people are doing everyday. Many of the routines and activities you are already doing are likely therapeutic, whether it is official therapy or not. So what to do when your feeding therapy is on hold? It’s OKAY! Mealtimes are so much more than just building oral motor skills and working on strategies, mealtimes are about the togetherness and comfort. In this week’s episode, Heidi and Jamie will talk through how you can help your child throughout this time and why it’s important to give yourself a break!  

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 
 

Episode 35: What's the Deal with Drinking?

We know that this past week hasn’t been easy for our families. We are thinking of you and sending a big virtual hug! It’s important to remember that what’s more important than what your kid is eating or how much they are taking by mouth is the comfort, security, and attachment they feel for you. There is a lot of evidence to show that your mental and emotional well-being are very important and can help make things easier, so hang in there! Although this might not be a time to dive into tube weaning, it could be a time to gather more information and map out a plan. At the Tube to Table podcast, we are going to continue to provide you with information and try to keep things as normal as possible for you and your family! In this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi are talking about learning to drink while weaning. This episode focuses on things to consider while weaning and learning to drink as well as some practical ways we see kids learn to drink! 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 
 

Episode 34: Calming The Waters

In this week’s episode, Heidi is joined by Jamie Hinchey, a feeding therapist and member of the Thrive tube weaning team. Heidi and Jamie are discussing the importance of bringing calm to a situation, specifically around children. This could be moving houses, a new baby in the house, spring break, or a change in the weather. If you are listening to this in real-time, then there are many of you who are dealing with a sense of chaos or disruption in your house right now. We’re here to help. It can be hard to manage when different situations arise, big or small. As the adult, you have the right and ability to bring calm into the situation for your family. Today’s episode will dive into a few strategies that we find helpful for parents when things feel chaotic. Jamie and Heidi will discuss the importance of reducing expectations, bringing familiarity to the situation, and linking the old and the new. The Thrive team is also celebrating 10k downloads on the podcast! Thanks for listening! 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 
 

Episode 33: Autonomy over Efficiency

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, Jennifer and Heidi are talking about autonomy. What is it and why is it important in your child’s tube weaning journey? It is so important to allow your child to be autonomous and independent while building a healthy and happy relationship with food. This should be a priority over efficiency and skill development. We have received feedback from therapists and parents who are struggling to find this balance within therapy. Your hosts will elaborate more on what autonomy means, why it is important to prioritize, and how this helps children recover from any past traumatic food experience. So what does this look like in real life at the family table? Jennifer and Heidi will talk through how to build autonomy at mealtimes within your everyday routine, especially throughout the weaning process. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 
 

Episode 32: The Lowdown on Liquids

On this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi are talking about liquids and how they play a role while weaning your child from a feeding tube. As we all know, liquids are an essential part of our life, especially when we are sick  or not feeling our best. Think about when you are dehydrated and how that makes your body feel: typically tired, low energy, swollen, and just generally uncomfortable. Kids feel that way too, even small babies, but they are not able to communicate that as well. At Thrive, we work with your child’s medical team to determine hydration parameters prior to starting a wean. In this episode, Heidi and Jennifer will discuss what that conversation looks like and why it is so important.  Your hosts will also talk through 3 main reasons why introducing liquids can feel so hard during a wean or why your child isn’t showing as much interest in drinking.  

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Episode 31: Dealing With a Crisis

On this week’s episode, Heidi is joined by Brianna Brown, a feeding therapist and member of the Thrive Tube Weaning Team. To follow up with last week’s topic on anxiety, Brianna and Heidi are discussing how to move forward when there is an actual problem or crisis during a tube wean. Anxiety and the feeling of a crisis are common during tube weaning in all families with children of all ages. Although the problem may be different for each family, there are common strategies that we find very important. Brianna and Heidi will discuss why addressing your mindset is so important and how our therapists can help parents through that while weaning. There are many things to consider when working with families, but the 3 most important things are: building a team, focusing on communication, and sticking to the facts. Throughout this episode, Brianna and Heidi will break down these three strategies and how they relate to tube weaning. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Episode 30: Why Do We Worry About Worrying?

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, Heidi is joined by Jamie, a feeding therapist and full-time member of the Thrive Tube Weaning Team. This week is Tube Feeding Awareness Week and we are so happy that this podcast has been able to reach families who have a child on a feeding tube, who are ready to wean, or who recently received a feeding tube. This week’s topic is all about worrying. Why do we as therapists need to worry about worrying? This topic will be helpful for all families who have or who have had a child with a feeding tube. Most parents would do just about anything for their children, and one of those things means trying to anticipate future problems to avoid any bumps in the road. While this can be helpful, there is a sneaky downside to this that is very subtle. Worrying and anxious thoughts can directly relate to mealtimes, feedings, and your child’s weaning journey. In this episode, Jamie and Heidi will talk about what this worrying looks like, what do we do when we encounter it, and what the plan should be to jump off the cycle. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Episode 29: How to Measure Success

Welcome back for another episode of Tube to Table! This week we are talking about how to measure progress while weaning your child from their feeding tube. We have been hearing from various families that we work with that there is confusion over how progress is measured. This is also a common conversation we find ourselves having with healthcare teams when discussing a child’s progression throughout a tube wean. Last week, we talked about how to initiate the conversation with your medical team and the importance of providing them resources on tube weaning. This week, we are focusing on how to shift the focus from a “number” to the whole child when looking at measures of success. There is confusion when people look at factors that we consider parameters or boundaries, as the way to measure progress. This week’s episode will identify the four measures of progress that we focus on at Thrive and why they are important. Heidi and Jennifer will break down each factor to discuss what to look for and how to identify these measures of success. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!