You may be asked to check the placement of your feeding tube at home before you start a feeding - or less often (once a day or a few times a week). If you have been asked to check the position of your tube, follow these steps:

Gather your supplies

• Formula
• Clean cup or container (if needed)
• 60 mL syringe
• Water (room temperature)

Get set up

1. Wash your hands
2. Wipe the top of the formula container with a clean, wet cloth
3. Shake the formula container gently
4. Check your ‘feeding schedule’ for how much formula to use

Starting the feeding

1. Get in a comfortable position – sit upright or lie with the head of your bed raised to 45 degrees (about the height of 3 pillows)
2. Open your feeding tube
   • Fold over, pinch or clamp the end of your feeding tube to stop the flow. Then uncap the tube.
3. Flush your feeding tube with water - your healthcare professional will tell you how much water to use.
4. Close or recap your feeding tube

Use either Method A or Method B

Gather your supplies

• Formula
• Feeding bag and tubing
• Pole
• 60 mL syringe
• Water (room temperature)

Get set up

1. Wash your hands
2. Wipe the top of the formula container with a clean, wet cloth
3. Shake the formula container gently.
   • If using a pre-filled formula container, shake the container and spike it with the feeding set as shown by your healthcare professional – then go to step 6
4. Close the tubing on the feeding bag by closing the slide/roller clamp
5. Pour the formula into the feeding bag and close the top of the bag
   • Check your feeding schedule for how much formula to use
6. Hang the feeding bag on the pole so it is at least 18 inches(45 centimetres) above the level of your stomach
7. Start the flow of formula through the feeding bag tubing by opening the side/roller clamp
8. Let the formula flow to the tip of the tubing
9. Close the side/roller clamp

Starting the feeding

1. Open your feeding tube
   • Fold over and pinch or clamp the end of your feeding tube to stop the flow. Then uncap the tube.
2. Flush your feeding tube with water – your healthcare professional will tell you how much to use
3. Attach the tip on the end of the feeding bag tubing to your feeding tube
4. Get in a comfortable position – sit upright or lie with the head of your bed raised to 45 degrees (about the height of 3 pillows)
5. Open the slide/roller clamp to adjust the flow rate
6. After the feeding, close and remove the feeding bag tubing
7. Flush your feeding tube with water – your healthcare professional will tell you how much to use
8. Close your feeding tube
9. Clean, rinse and dry your supplies. Your healthcare professional will tell you how often to replace your feeding bag and tubing.

Gather your supplies

• Formula
• Feeding bag and tubing
• Feeding pump
• Pole
• 60 mL syringe
• Water (room temperature)

Get set up

1. Wash your hands
2. Wipe the top of the formula container with a clean, wet cloth
3. Shake the formula container gently
   • If you are using a pre-filled formula container, shake the container and spike it with the feeding set as shown by your healthcare professional – then go to step 5
4. Pour the formula into the feeding bag and close the top of the bag – make sure the slide/roller clamp is closed
   • Check your ‘feeding schedule’ for how much formula to use
5. If using an IV pole, hang the feeding bag on the pole above the feeding pump
6. Since every pump is different, follow the instructions given by your healthcare professional to use your feeding pump and ‘prime’ the tubing (‘priming’ means to fill the tubing with formula before it is attached to your feeding tube)

Starting the feeding

1. Get in a comfortable position – sit upright or lie with the head of your bed raised to 45 degrees (about the height of 3 pillows)
2. Open your feeding tube
   • Fold over and pinch or clamp the end of your feeding tube to stop the flow. Then uncap the tube.
3. Flush your feeding tube with water – your healthcare professional will tell you how much to use
4. Attach the tip on the end of the feeding bag tubing to your feeding tube
5. Set the flow rate on the pump. Your healthcare professional will tell you what flow rate to use.
6. If needed, open the side/roller clamp on the feeding bag tube
7. Start your feeding pump
8. After the feeding, take the feeding bag tube off of your feeding tube
9. Flush your feeding tube with water – your healthcare professional will tell you how much to use
10. Close your feeding tube
11. Clean, rinse and dry your supplies
    • If you are using a pre-filled formula container, throw the container away when it is empty
    • If you are pouring formula into a feeding bag container for your tube feeding, check with your healthcare professional about how long your feeding formula should “hang” or stay in the feeding bag and tubing at room temperature
    • Replace your feeding container and tubing as advised by your healthcare professional

Check with your nurse, doctor or pharmacist to find out about:

• Which medications should not be crushed
• How to crush medications – if you are asked to do this
• How much water to mix with your medication
• Which medications should not be given together
• If there are any other special instructions about giving your medications through your feeding tube

When giving water and medications, follow the steps below. When giving water only, start at step 2.

1. Using a 60 mL syringe, flush your feeding tube with 15-30 mL of warm water before giving medication (unless you are told something different by your healthcare professional). See Figure 1.
2. Using a 60 mL syringe, draw up the right dose of medication or water into the syringe. Open your feeding tube and attach the syringe to your feeding tube. See Figure 2 and Figure 3.
3. Gently push the water or medication into your tube. See Figure 3.
4. Take the syringe off your feeding tube and refill the syringe with warm water until the all of the water you need is given, or to flush all the medication out of the syringe.
5. Close your feeding tube when finished and place the cap back on the tip of the syringe.