The G-Tube - Part III

As a result of her G-Tube, Cassie had a very specific bedtime routine which seems like a lot of work, but again it was all just another part of our lives and a part of Cassandra that we loved and cherished. The routine when I had Cassie went like this:

First, I would prepare her last meal for the night, one bottle of formula, about 80cc. I'd grab her tube, a syringe, the bottle, and any medications she needed. Once upstairs we would play on the bed with Lesley and Mom for a while. Lesley got thrown around a bunch - we had to take it easy with Cassie but she loved to be tickled and rolled around.

Then Mom would take Lesley to her room and I'd get Cassie ready for bed. Take off her clothes, change her diaper, clean up her g-tube site, and put on her pajamas. Now it's time to eat!

I'd sit in bed and Cassie would sit between my legs both of us facing the TV. I would hook Cassie up to her tube and the big syringe and feed her the formula over a period of about 20 minutes. While she ate Cassie would play with a small syringe or a small toy, I'd tickle her and kiss her head, or she'd look up at me and grin a silly grin. When dinner ws over, the feeding supplies went on the nightstand, the lights went off, and it was time for bed.

This was my favorite part and probably what I miss the very most. I'd lay down in bed and Cassie would curl up next to me on my right arm. She would snuggle her head onto my shoulder and wrap her arms around my belly. It was so very comfortable. She'd wiggle around a little bit but soon she would be sound asleep in my arms. On bad days she would have a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep and I'd be up there for hours. Other days I'd be able to roll her over onto her side and go downstairs after a few minutes. It was only very recently that Cassie was well enough that we could put her in her crib to fall asleep, but in retrospect that wasn't nearly as much fun. So I guess there was one good thing about that g-tube.