Baby Noah’s Miraculous MIC-KEY G Journey
Preparing for the birth of a first child can stir up parents’ hopes and fears, excitement and anxiety. Parents-to-be Bryan and Jessica Whiteman had to contend with a whole new set of emotions when they learned their first little one wasn’t developing the way he should and would need to be delivered by C-section at 30 weeks.
When Baby Noah arrived, he weighed just 2 pounds and was about the size of Bryan’s hand. He was immediately sent to the NICU, where he got specialized care including steroids to help with lung development and a nasogastric feeding tube to provide the nutrition he needed to grow.
Because Noah was born premature, Bryan and Jessica understood that he might have more health challenges as he grew. Still, they were concerned when he didn’t seem to want to eat by mouth and had a lot of gut sensitivity issues. Noah’s doctors wanted to make sure he was getting enough calories to keep growing, so they recommended a MIC-KEY* low-profile feeding tube.
The nasogastric tube goes into the nose and throat to the stomach, while the MIC-KEY low-profile feeding tube is placed surgically to help deliver nutrition directly to the digestive tract. Its low-profile tube head is designed to lie close to the skin, making it less visible than standard-length tubes.†
“Like any parents, we had mixed emotions and apprehension,” says Bryan. “We also had lots of questions and concerns about tube feeding.”
It helped that Bryan, as an account representative with Avanos’s Specialty Nutrition Systems (SNS) business since 2017, was already familiar with MIC-KEY.
Noah had his feeding tube for 18 months. During that time, the Whitemans worked with their healthcare team and tried many different strategies—including overnight feeds and occupational therapy—to help soothe Noah’s gut and encourage him to eat by mouth. Bit by bit, his appetite grew, and he started wanting to eat during the day. Eventually, his feeding tube was removed.
After the tube came out, Bryan says, the first food Noah asked for was King Cake, a special pastry eaten during Mardi Gras in Louisiana, where the Whitemans live. Since that first taste, Noah has had the chance to eat more King Cake—and lots of other foods. He is now six years old, a proud kindergarten graduate who loves playing with his younger siblings: twin four-year-old brothers and a three-year-old sister.
For his part, Bryan says it’s helpful in his work to understand what it’s like being the parent of a child with a feeding tube.
“One of my favorite parts of this job is talking to parents who have questions about tube feeding, because we experienced it firsthand and fully understand what they’re going through,” Bryan says.
He strongly encourages parents who are about to begin the tube-feeding journey with a child to seek out resources for support, like Avanos’ Tubefed.com website, and other groups like the Oley Foundation.
“You have to work as a team, and that includes taking turns with feeds, networking with other parents of tube-fed kids, and attending doctor appointments,” says Bryan. “Although this isn’t how you envisioned spending time with your child, focus on enjoying moments with your growing family. You might even have to create the fun moments that come more seamlessly for others, but they will be there regardless.”
