Appendix 1 for examples of medications not recommended for enteral administration and/or may cause interactions. Nurses should consider titrating feeds down or ceasing feeds for a short period of time depending on the clinical status and nutritional needs of the child.

Mimics a normal pattern of eating. Allows for greater mobility/activity as the patient is not tied to the pump for long periods of time. Allows greater flexibility for the patient with regards when the feed is administered. Less equipment required. To get cooled, boiled water; boil your kettle and let it cool down. This can be kept in a clean bottle in your fridge for 24 hours. Avoid using the syringe to feed medicines since the drug may react with traces of milk inside the syringe. Maintain a separate feeding syringe to administer medicines to the baby. Peter, S Gill, F 2009,' Development of a clinical practice guideline for testing nasogastric tube placement'. Paediatric Nursing,vol.14 issue 1, pp. 3 – 11

Obtain gastric aspirate

Please note this guideline does not refer to the care of trans-anastomotic tube (TAT), these remain in-situ post-operatively and should not be removed or replaced. If the TAT is dislodged inadvertently, immediately notify the neonatal and surgical teams. Feeds and medications should only be administered via a TAT tube at the direction of the treating medical team. Definition of terms serious illness, which places the body in a state of stress, making it difficult to take in enough nutrients

Taylor, S., 2013, Confirming nasogastric feeding tube position versus the need to feed, Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 29, pg 59-69. Pour the prescribed amount of water into the syringe and allow to flow through to flush the feeding tube appropriately.You can use the formula in the presence of a suitable setting. Allow the open formula to sit out for at least 4 hours before refrigerating it. After you open the formula, place it in the refrigerator. After 24 hours, if any opened cans have been refrigerated, they should be discarded. There is a 24-hour helpline available to help with pump problems. A nurse advisor is available to provide telephone advice on any other problem you may have ( 08457 623636).