Tube to Table

Episode 6: First Things First

In past episodes, we have talked about some of the foundations to our program, including hunger, signs of readiness, and what you can do while you wait to wean. This week’s episode focuses on the specific progression from feeding tube dependency to eating orally. Heidi and Jennifer will walk you through the five crucial steps that the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program focuses on while working with families who are ready to start their journey to being tube-free. The five steps are: Do no Harm, Build Trust, Create Responsive Mealtimes, Discover the Internal Drive to Eat, and lastly, watch your child THRIVE and GROW. They will dive into each step specifically and discuss why it is important in your child’s tube weaning journey and what you can do to help your child no matter what stage they might be in right now. As children work their way through each step, you are helping them build a positive and strong foundation for a lifetime of happy and healthy eating.  

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com/blogs) 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 5: Ready or Not

Wondering if your child is ready to wean from their feeding tube? How do you know? In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, we are discussing feeding tube readiness and what makes a child ready to transition from feeding tube to oral eating. There are many important factors to look at when making this important decision. Heidi and Jennifer talk through the series of readiness criteria that the Thrive Tube Weaning Program looks at.  At Thrive, we focus on medical readiness including weight gain and growth, safety readiness, developmental readiness, and family readiness. Jennifer and Heidi will discuss each of these criteria in more depth and review why it is so important to assess all these areas prior to moving forward. They also dive into a discussion about why waiting is NOT always the right thing to do and why although feeding tubes save lives, when they are no longer needed it is crucial to identify the criteria for readiness and move forward. 

 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com/blogs) 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 4: The Eating Instinct with Virginia Sole-Smith

In this week’s episode of the Tube To Table Podcast, Jennifer and Heidi sit down with Virginia Sole-Smith to discuss her child’s journey from feeding tube to family table. Virginia is a writer, contributing editor to Parents Magazine, and the author of The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America. Virginia is also the cohost of one of our favorite podcasts, The Comfort Food Podcast, and most importantly, a mom! Virginia has known both Jennifer and Heidi since her own feeding tube weaning experience with her daughter, Violet. In this episode, you will hear Virginia’s story about her daughter’s scary medical experience, why she needed a feeding tube, and how she worked with various professionals to eventually wean Violet off her feeding tube. We will talk through the things Virginia wish she knew, how her medical team played a role, and how a responsive feeding therapy approach eventually helped get her daughter off her feeding tube and become a happy and healthy eater! 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com/blogs) 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 @Thrivewithsp on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 

Episode 3: Hungry For More!

In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Jennifer and Heidi are giving our listeners a brief history of how the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program started. They will discuss what brought them together as therapists and how their interest in feeding therapy and tube weaning first started. Jennifer shares how she found herself looking for more after working as an occupational therapist in feeding therapy for multiple years. For so long, therapy focused on skills including behavior, sensory, and oral motor, but a common observation was that the children she saw didn’t ever seem to enjoy food or mealtimes. After looking at the research behind what motivates children to eat, Jennifer worked to build a program that included hunger as well as responsive feeding techniques. This week’s episode breaks down why these two elements are crucial for building the foundation for a child’s healthy relationship with food while tube weaning. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com/blogs) 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 @Thrivewithsp on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 

Episode 2: What To Do While You Wait

What can you do while you’re getting ready to wean?

Last week, we talked about what parents wish they knew when their child received their feeding tube. This week’s episode focuses on what you can do to help your child become a happy and healthy eater while they are still tube-dependent. We will talk through practical tips for parents to set their tube fed kids up for success for when the time comes to wean from the feeding tube.  Jennifer and Heidi discuss the importance of building a foundation for your child while they are tube-dependent to establish a positive relationship with food. Think about all the strategies, therapies, or changes that are happening during this time: are they hurting or helping your child’s relationship with food? This episode discusses why it is crucial to work through these steps prior to weaning. This includes building in rest, play, and taking a step back from anything that could be harming your child’s initiation and interest in food. Jennifer and Heidi will also provide our listeners with helpful strategies and tips you can implement immediately at home to help your child prepare for when it is time to wean. 

Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com/blogs) 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 @Thrivewithsp on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 

Episode 1: What I Wish They Had Told Me!

Welcome to Tube To Table: The podcast about helping tube fed kids become happy and healthy eaters. In episode 1, you’ll get to know your hosts, Jennifer Berry, occupational therapist and founder of the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program and Heidi Moreland, speech-language pathologist and clinical coordinator of the Thrive Tube Weaning Program. In preparation for this episode, we spoke to multiple families of children we have helped wean from their feeding tube and asked them what they wish they had known prior to their child getting a feeding tube. In this episode, we specifically focus on children who have the goal of transitioning to oral eating and what parents wish they had known to help their child become a happy and healthy eater. We break down different feeding therapy approaches, importance of responsive feeding, and how self-regulation plays a role in all of this. We will also talk about the role your child’s medical team should play and how they can support you during this transition. Heidi and Jennifer discuss strategies that you can do now, while your child is fully tube-fed, to eventually help with the transition to weaning.

Check out this episode’s show notes page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com/blog) for more resources and more information on what we discussed today!

Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!