Small or sick babies and those with other problems or abnormalities may not be able to feed so promptly or by mouth. Sometimes a gastrostomy tube is inserted during the operation, which passes into the stomach through the front of the abdomen and can be used for feeding. This may be given through a cannula in a limb or through a long, very fine feeding line which has been inserted into a big vein near the heart. As progress is made the baby will require fewer tubes and less frequent monitoring. He or she may move to a more normal-looking cot, and may even move to a less intensive ward while feeding is established.
Every baby is different.
Sometimes the last days of recovery are made at a hospital near the parents' home. A major leak of fluid from the join in the oesophagus is an unusual event thanks to modern surgical advances, but remains a serious one. If a leakage occurs, it usually does so in the first three or four days after the operation. A small leak may be treated with antibiotics and stopping the feeds by mouth or tube. A larger leak, which the surgeons believe will not heal up on its own, will require surgery.