
Baby with NG tube suddenly nauseous and rubbing nose
Has anyone else’s baby suddenly started gagging again after weeks of doing well with an NG tube?
My 11-month-old has had an NG tube in his right nostril for about five weeks. The first few days were rough—he gagged constantly and had trouble drinking bottles, water, or eating purees.
Thankfully, he adjusted and for the past four weeks, he was eating and drinking almost normally again, with only a small portion given through the tube. But over the last two to three days, he’s suddenly started gagging again during bottles and purees. He also seems really bothered by his nose and keeps rubbing it.
The tube hasn’t moved, placement is checked regularly, it’s taped securely (FYI: I found a way to secure the NG tube that works amazing and I can change just the part the gets dirty without pain so if anyone wants info on that DM me), and there’s no bad smell, drainage, blockage, or visible damage. Our pediatrician said this type of polyurethane tube can stay in for up to 10–12 weeks.
I’m wondering if anyone else’s child experienced something similar—did nasal irritation develop after several weeks even if the tube was still correctly positioned? Did changing the tube help, or did you find another cause? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences.
I’ve already checked in with our pediatrician. He said it was probably nothing and suggested it might be related to my baby’s sensory or autism-like issues, kind of just “being difficult.” But we haven’t changed a thing about his feeds—no new textures, no new flavors—and the gagging and nose rubbing are new. For now, his advice was just to wait and see. But it gets hard when he was doing great and now we’re in what feels like square one.