Beyond The Tube: Real Stories, Real Advice

Ep30: Creating Positive Mealtime Experiences for Your Family

I was so glad to sit down with Emily from Lively Eaters [https://livelyeaters.com.au/] to talk about feeding challenges and how she can support families in this space. Emily is a speech pathologist by background and the founder of this multidisciplinary feeding therapy service based in South Australia that has been running for about fifteen years. Emily shared her passion for feeding therapy, which started during her university studies, and how over twenty-six years of working with children, she recognised there was a gap in how families with feeding challenges were being supported. Through her clinical experience in the community, tertiary hospitals in Adelaide, and the UK, she saw that something needed to change in how we approach these families and their experiences. We explored why feeding challenges are so often misunderstood, particularly when tubes are involved. We talked about oral aversion, how control matters for children who have already had so much control taken away by medical treatment, and why reducing pressure at mealtimes is so crucial. We discussed the link between fullness, satiation cues, and how tube feeding can interrupt the natural appetite signals children need to develop. Emily also shared insights from her PhD research on tube weaning, practical approaches to mealtime environments, and how families can support their children without pushing for specific amounts or outcomes. We covered the importance of consistency, predictability, and treating mealtimes as relational and emotional experiences rather than purely medical procedures. To learn more about Lively Eaters, visit:Website: livelyeaters.com.au [https://livelyeaters.com.au/]Instagram: @livelyeatersfeedingtherapy [https://www.instagram.com/livelyeatersfeedingtherapy]Facebook: facebook.com/livelyeaters [http://facebook.com/livelyeaters]A huge thank you to Lively Eaters for supporting Beyond The Tube and helping us continue to bring education, awareness, and support to families navigating feeding challenges and complex care journeys. Please feel free to reach out! Instagram: @beyond.the.tube.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/beyond.the.tube.podcast] Email: beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com [beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com] This is a Podvan Media [https://www.podvan.com.au] production.

Ep29: Hannah from Nappy Free - Toilet Training Beyond the Wait for Readiness

I was so excited to sit down with Hannah from Nappy Free [https://instagram.com/nappy_free] to talk about toilet training. Not just for medically complex kids, but for all kids. Hannah toilet trained her first child at around 20 months and her second at just 11 months old. She’s a teacher of 18 years, and through Nappy Free, she has already supported 87 families through their toilet training journey. We talked about the myth of ‘waiting for readiness’ along with who has been selling that narrative to us - and why. We also look at the window of opportunity, why power struggles emerge after age 2.5, and what elimination communication looks like for babies and younger children. In this episode, Hannah shares practical tips for getting started: awareness of the body, visual and sound cues, routine-based prompting, and the importance of giving your child that one element of control. This episode was proudly sponsored by Little Harvesters. They're on a mission to make feeding our little ones easier by offering nutritious, convenient meals designed for busy families. Check them out at littleharvesters.com.au [https://littleharvesters.com.au] or on their Instagram: @littleharvesters [https://instagram.com/littleharvesters] We’re building a community here, one story at a time, and I’m so glad you’re along for the ride. Please feel free to reach out! Instagram: @beyond.the.tube.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/beyond.the.tube.podcast] Email: beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com [beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com] This is a Podvan Media [https://www.podvan.com.au] production.

Ep28: The Blend Magazine - Changing How Tube Feeding Is Seen

I was so excited to sit down with Mel, the founder and editor of the gorgeous publication, The Blend [https://www.theblendmag.com/] magazine. Mel and I talked all about how this beautiful resource came to be, starting from a very desperate and personal place when her son, Arlo, had a horrendous start to his tube-feeding journey. Mel shared her experiences of navigating her son's diagnosis of quadriplegic cerebral palsy and why she felt compelled to challenge the clinical, sterile imagery that usually surrounds disability. We explored how the magazine acts as a mirror for little people seeing themselves represented for the first time, while also providing an authentic, premium space for adults who tube feed. Our conversation hit back hard against the "charity mindset" and "inspo porn" so often pushed by mainstream media, focusing instead on the vibrant, multi-layered reality of our everyday lives. You can find out more about The Blend and connect with Mel here: * Website: https://www.theblendmag.com/ [https://www.theblendmag.com/⁠] * Instagram: @the_blend_mag [https://www.instagram.com/the_blend_mag/] We’re building a community here - one story at a time - and I’m so glad you’re along for the ride. Please feel free to reach out! Instagram: @beyond.the.tube.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/beyond.the.tube.podcast] Email: beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com [beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com] This is a Podvan Media [https://www.podvan.com.au] production.

Ep27: Michelle's Story Part 2 - The Hidden Trauma of Feeding

If you're just joining us, I highly really recommend you go back to Episode 26 to hear the first part of Michelle's incredible story. In this episode, Michelle opens up about the hardest part of her journey, and her answer really surprised me. It wasn't the medical side, but the psychological impact of feeding trauma on her daughter, Mila, and the unexpected regression after a successful weaning period. We talk about the immense guilt parents can feel, the challenges of navigating public spaces with a feeding tube, and the absolute necessity of keeping detailed logs. More than anything, this conversation is a reminder that you are not alone. There is a whole community of parents who understand the fear, the exhaustion, the setbacks, the small wins and the days where you just need to vent. You can check out Mila's story from The Blend Mag here [https://www.theblendmag.com/family-stories/here-for-the-celebrating-and-the-venting] We’re building a community here - one story at a time - and I’m so glad you’re along for the ride. Please feel free to reach out! Instagram: @beyond.the.tube.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/beyond.the.tube.podcast] Email: beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com [beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com] This is a Podvan Media [https://www.podvan.com.au] production.

Ep26: The Part Nobody Warns You About - Isolation in Tubie Life

In this episode, I sit down with Michelle, a fellow tubie mum from New York, to talk about her daughter Mila and the long road that brought their family into tube feeding. From the very beginning, Michelle knew something wasn't right with feeding, and what followed was a whirlwind of appointments, failed feeds, hospital admissions, scary tests, and the kind of overwhelm that so many of us know far too well. Michelle shares what it was like watching Mila struggle to feed, being told she was failing to thrive, and eventually learning that silent aspiration and a laryngeal cleft were at the heart of it all. We talk about NG tube life, why it felt so traumatic, and the relief that came with moving to a G-tube. One of the biggest takeaways from this chat is that even when the medical reason for a feeding tube is sorted, feeding challenges do not always disappear. Michelle speaks so openly about Mila's ongoing journey with ARFID and paediatric feeding disorder, and why the psychological side of feeding deserves so much more awareness. I really hope this episode helps families feel less alone, more seen, and a little more understood in the middle of it all. We’re building a community here - one story at a time - and I’m so glad you’re along for the ride. Please feel free to reach out! Instagram: @beyond.the.tube.podcast [https://www.instagram.com/beyond.the.tube.podcast] Email: beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com [beyondthetubepodcast@gmail.com] This is a Podvan Media [https://www.podvan.com.au] production.