bFed System

One issue many blenderized diet families face is the fact that modern tube feeding equipment has been entirely designed around formula use. In fact, by their own admission, the new ENFit system was developed with the recommendation in mind that commercial formula be the preferred product to feed through a feeding tube. In other words, when ENFit, the most recently developed system for tube feeding, was being designed, whether a blenderized diet could be fed through the system was never a consideration.

While this post is not about ENFit (I will be writing about ENFit in August), I am bringing this up to demonstrate how little attention the medical device industry is giving to the fact that more and more families are preferring home blenderized diets of real food over enteral formula. Parents are often turning to syringes designed for the feeding and rehabilitation of squirrels, for example, because the syringes designed for feeding food to squirrels are of better quality than the syringes designed for feeding food to children. The medical device industry is not keeping up with the times, that much is clear. And families have endured a lot of frustration because of it.

So, I was extremely pleased to hear of a couple of people experienced in the medical device industry who noticed this and wanted to offer something better to tube-fed patients, especially for those who are feeding pureed food. After working in the medical device industry for many years, Brian Johnson and Fred Reuning both saw the market changing more and more toward blenderized diets and more natural nutrition products. Yet, no new delivery options were being developed with this in mind. Believing in natural nutrition themselves, they knew they could create a delivery system that is better than what is currently available. And that is what they set out to do. They branched out on their own, launched their self-funded company, and developed the bFed System.

Earlier this year, their bFed System was launched. I am IN LOVE. All our frustrating days of dripping food everywhere with syringes can now be a thing of the past. Imagine just packing up pouches filled with your pureed food when you are going out for the day, connecting those pouches directly to the g-tube extension, and feeding. This is now possible, thanks to the bFed System.

One mom mentioned she really liked that she could fit an entire meal into one bag (a bag can hold up to 13 ounces), it was less messy than syringe feeding, and it was easy to clean, much easier than she had anticipated.

Some people have noticed that it was a bit difficult to push the food through the extension, particularly with thicker blends. However, other moms have noticed if you insure all of the air is out of the bag, this problem is alleviated. If you turn the bag upright so the opening is facing up and squeeze the food up to the opening to remove any air prior to connecting it to the extension, pushing food through becomes much easier. Alternatively, hold the bag upright, attach the extension and push all air up and out so only food is in the bag and extension. Then, attach the extension to the feeding tube (much like you would prime the air out of a bag on a feeding pump prior to connecting it).

It seems if there is a lot of air in the bag, you have to push it a lot harder because you are pushing large air bubbles around inside the bag rather than pushing the food directly through the tubing. Still, if you use very thick blends, you may want to try a small sample kit to see if this system is right for you. Some that use very thick blends had a hard time getting the final ounce of food out of the bag. It seems in most cases, however, blends go through just fine, and the response to the bFed System has been largely very positive.

Another solution the bFed system provides is the ability to connect store bought baby food pouches directly to a G-tube extension. Many mothers, myself included, have sought out ways we could simply put a baby food pouch right into an extension, and we have gotten quite creative in the process. Throwing some shelf-stable baby food pouches into the diaper bag when going out for the day can be quite convenient. However, when you then have to squeeze all those pouches into a blender bottle, stir them up, suck it up with a syringe, drip food everywhere while moving the syringe from the blender bottle to the extension, and then, feed, that convenience pretty much goes out the window.

Now, you really can just attach a baby food pouch directly to the extension without tremendous feats of improvisation. The bFed system has an adaptor that allows you to connect a baby food pouch directly into an ENFit extension. Also, if you do not wish to use ENFit, an adapter is available here that allows you to connect it to other extensions as well. Some people like ENFit and other people abhor it. I appreciate that this company offers both options so people can use whichever system they prefer rather than requiring everyone to use one system or the other.

If you use Nourish, Liquid Hope, or Real Food Blends, you can pour the product into a blender bottle with any liquid you would like to add, shake the bottle up to mix, and then pour it right into the bolee bag from the blender bottle for no-mess feeding.

What I am most pleased about with the bFed System is the selection and freedom of choice the company offers (something rarely extended to the tube-fed community), their acknowledgement that better systems are needed for people feeding pureed food through feeding tubes, and their desire and efforts to provide those better systems to the tube-fed community. The first generation of the bFed System was first shipped out in February of this year, and the second generation is already in development.

Their website is filled with pictures of wholesome, nutritious foods rather than sugar-laden beverages, and their slogan in their logo is, “Freedom to Choose.” In this way, they truly stand apart from other companies in the medical device industry.

I have personally spoken with Brian Johnson on multiple occasions, and I do feel he is genuinely interested in hearing consumer feedback so they can develop the best system possible. Home Care Supply companies can supply the bFed System as part of your monthly supply kit (they can bill it under the gravity billing code). You can also buy directly through their website here.

I give a two thumbs up to the bFed System and encourage you to give it a try and to support the efforts of this company to make tube feeding easier for all of us.

*I received no compensation, neither financially or materially, for writing this blog post.