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Maruscke my dd was 34 weeks and 2.75kg, so one of the biggest prems in the scn too, she didn't show much interest in bfing or suck feeding until the week she came home after three weeks so she kept her nasal gastric tube in until the day before she came home. I still offered a bf everytime I visited her and the midwives tried a bottle before the tube.
I hope your dd stabilizes and starts to suck feed soon, as others have said it kicks in around 35 weeks.
Well we had mixed news this morning. Despite getting 3mls of my colostrum every 3 hours overnight via her ng tube, and being on 8mls/hour of glucose via the cannula, her BSL's are still hovering around 2 :(. They let her have a suck this morning and she could latch, and trigger let down, but only 3-4 sucks each side.
3 or 4 sucks is better than nothing. It means that she can do it, she just needs to get her strength up.
my 35 weeker was 5 p 9 o or 2.5 kg she didnt go in nursery just had to stay a few days to get the sucking going properly GL
Woo hoo for her sucking! (celebrate any advance no matter how small):
Did you have GD during pregnancy? (just wondering) I hope they find out what is going on with her BSL. Best of luck. And hugs.
Eeeks it is so hard to know what the right thing to do is sometimes :(. They are trying to push her to quota today (OMG!!! :D) so she should get as much fluid intake as a term bubba. She needs to get to quota because my BM restores her BSL's. When they put her to the breast, she licks and gets nothing, expends energy for no food reward so her BSL's go down. So they can either keep ng'ing her feeds or use a bottle. Today we tried a bottle and she drank quota in under 30 seconds. I feel like I am starving my bubba so she will breastfeed rather than bottle feed (though the food is the same) and I'm seriously tempted to become a full time expresser so that she gets what she needs, can recover and come home.
Give her time, once her levels even out and she gets a few weeks older her suck reflux will be stronger and she may be able to bf instead. You are doing a great job with the expressing.
My 34week dd was great for her age, bf at least every 2nd feed right from birth & able to go home at 10days. But I do remember it being stressful & tiring expressing & trying to bf seeming ALL DAY! All I can say is hang in there the older she gets the stronger & more alert she'll get & then she'll be able to bf more often & for longer stints. Hang in there ur doing great :)
I'm going to see her soon! Yes the expressing is tiring but I know how good that liquid gold is for her.
Expressing is a drag, but it's so rewarding.
I wouldn't be worrying too much about her breastfeeding right now. She's still only little. I know that's hard to hear. I wanted DD to BF sooo badly before she was 'term' and it just didn't happen. She was just too small and tired.
Keep up the good work. :hug:
Thanks. I guess it is a reality. When did DD stop being so tired? DD2 is rarely alert.
It varies. Mine is 36 weeks now and mostly demanding feeds but this morning didn't want a bar of it.
She became alert all of a sudden around her EDD. Before that she just slept all the time. For the first few weeks she rarely woke up.
But, she was very sick. That probably makes a small difference.
Have they done blood screens for jaundice?
DS2 didn't BF fully until just over 36weeks. He could suck but was too tired. (would sleep 6-9hrs at a time) became more alert around EDD or over.
As far as expressing goes, when you express (and bottle or NG feed) doesn't mean that you won't bf later. My youngest brother was born term, had heaps of health issues and had to stay in hospital for the first 6 months. Mum expressed and bottle fed while he was in hospital, but when he came home she taught him to bf.
Do what you need to for now
Chris
DS1
DD
DS2
#4 due Sep
Well seems for the moment we are expressing and feeding EBM via the ng tube 6 feeds a day and via a bottle 2 feeds a day. I'm a little confused about when she gets to demand feed, I don't think that will happen for aaaages because she would just keep sleeping.
Her cannula tissued today, so they removed it, but her bsl's were stable so she doesn't need it anymore :D. Wahoo. Can't wait til I have a tube free baby.
Woohoo for stable BSL!!:
I was told by the drs when DS2 was in NICU/SCBU sleep=strength. Very normal for babies under 36 weeks to sleep constantly.
You are doing a great job Maruscke!
Some of the resources that helped me when in NICU and SCBU were:
Preterm Infants Parents Association (gave me info on what to expect from each gestation)
also 'Miracle Babies' foundation often have support groups and info in hospitals.
Life's Little Treasures is also a great foundation.
OLP how are you going hun? I hope your little one is progressing well in SCU :hug:. How is she going with feeds?
We just got back from visiting DD2. She is at quota :D. We tried a suck feed (ebm in a bottle) but she only took half. So one full bottle feed and two half bottle - half ng feeds today out of 8. We are getting there! When she can do 4 feeds a day I will room in with her again for 48 hours, then hopefully take her home. I had a peak into her red book and her apgars were 9 and 9.
Those are great Apgars!
YAY for being at quota!
Fingers crossed you can room in soon! That was the scariest thing ever, DD was just over 6 weeks old when we roomed in with her. That's when it all became real.
Is DD2 in an isolette or an open cot? Just curious.
DD2 is in an open cot :). I'm a bit frightened about rooming in to be honest. She is so darn small. And I have so many questions. Will I demand feed or feed on the clock? Can I have a 4-5 hour stretch of sleep overnight? If she does sleep past a feed and I don't wake her up, how will I know if her bsl's have really dropped? What formula should I use incase my supply drops rapidly? Eeeks!
Hi,
Prem babies are just on their L-plates. They look like they can do it, but you need to be in there beside them. Soon you can demand feed her, but right now she might be too sleepy and yound to actually demand (you will know she is able to demand a feed when she beats your three hourly alarm and YELLS for it. No, you can't go 4-5 hours over night Seriously. It's not forever, but your body needs to know it has to stick with the program - making milk. Don't let her sleep- set your phone alarm. There is no reason she would have low blood sugar levels if you feed her frequently. Milk supply doesn't just "drop suddenly". Simple equation - you remove the milk you make more. Therefore you won't be needing formula. Right now you are expressing about twice the amount you need. If you ever needed extra (which you won't) just dip into the freezer.
It sounds like the hospital experience has really knocked your confidence - that's common. A few days ago you were upset that she had to have formula - now you are asking what formula you should buy? You are well ahead of her breastmilk wise. You can do this. In a very short space of time she will be like a normal newborn and you will feed her fine
Wow! That is great news!:
Are there any/many nurses you feel comfortable asking questions? (when DS2 was in hospital we were assigned a really nice social worker who helped us, and in the support group there was a nurse who we asked any and everything)
I think all of us are scared of the thought of rooming-in. I'm not sure about the other hospitals but in SA WCH hospital has a nurse/midwife assigned to the parenting room to help with any questions & issues you have on the days you are in.
(btw when it comes time to room in they will have made sure her BSLs are steady)
And on another note DS2, my little 33+3weeker, is turning 2 tomorrow! getting to be such a big boy!
from this
http://img.tapatalk.com/76d2c3b9-cb50-d68e.jpg
To this
http://img.tapatalk.com/76d2c3b9-cb94-5cbe.jpg
Awww gosh he is a little cutie! Look how far he has come :D.
I'm going to disagree (sorry). It can depend on thier size and when they leave hospital. Dd1 was my 30 weeker born at 1.6kg. We left hosptal at 37 weeks and 2.7 kg. She never stirred for her 3 hourly feeds so I got the nurses to push her to 4 hourly and she started stirring for feeds then. Our first night home she wouldn't wake at 4.5 hourly mark and DH and I spent an hour trying to wake her. Went into another hospital and saw our usual doctor who told us we were mad to wake her, keep to 3-4 hr feeds in the day and let her wake at night when she wants as she's now considered term.:
Dd2 is my 34 weeker at 2.7kgs and currently in the SCN and I mentioned 4 hourly feeds to the nurse and her response is that some can and some can't depends on thier weight size etc.
Hi,
I agree that some can and some can't - but the information about whether this baby is one that can or can't go 4 hours is not tattoed on the baby's forehead, and I would worry that you would put the mother's milk supply and the baby's ongoing breastfeeding relationship at risk by letting them go too long. It's physiologically normal for a newborn to feed at least 8-12 times in 24 hours, and this is what the mother's body expects to keep her supply going. Also, when babies are in special care nursery they are often separated from their mother, and may show subtle signs that they want to feed - but in the plethora of business which is a special care nursery their cues might be missed.
In my experience it is important to express as often as possible in the early days. Unfortunately many Drs and nurses in special care don't think about breastfeeding long term when they give advice. They don't see normal fullterm babies very often and it skews their way of thinking
Just a quick question - any idea what size teats they are currently using to bottle feed her EBM? I am trying to get prepared for when we come home. I have some slow flow teats that came with the medela breast milk bottles but I'm not sure if they are going to be too fast for a little prem?
DD2 needs to take 4 out of 8 feeds as suck feeds, for two consecutive days, before I am allowed to room in for 48 hours and take her home. Yesterday they aimed for 3 and got half a bottle, a whole bottle, and half a bottle (so a failed attempt at 3). Today she has had two half bottles so it will be another failed attempt at 3. So tomorrow we try again for 3 full suck feeds. Will be at least today and another 3 full days before we room in. Time is going soooooo sloooooow.
Also, the hospital has run out of the larger size disposable bottles for me to take home and express in. How am I going to transport the EBM safely? Confuzzled.
hey alls
when mine were in i used to express 3hrly during the day 4 hrly at night they got out at 35.5 weeks and just over 2 kg and 36 weeks and 1.9 kg
scan this week showed were at aprox weight of 1.5kg and now on weekly swab test that can tell if u will go into labour during the next week
I've had a very tearful night after visiting DD2. I keep reading all these stories about premmies who are sucking at 34 and 35 weeks and mine is 36 and still has no clue what she is doing. I'm beginning to wonder if she is ever coming home. Operating on zero sleep. My daughter thinks this is what having a sibling is - visiting someone in hospital. Last night she said she was bored of her sister and wanted to play with a friend. FML.
Hey, just wanted to say....don't lose sight of the fact that she will breastfeed if that's what you want. she must be 36 weeks plus now? You have a great milk supply (all credit to you) there's no reason why she can't start to breastfeed now. Prem babies improve by the hour, pretty much. What was happening last week when you tried breastfeeding is ancient history. This week she's a bigger stronger and more capable baby. Try breast compression while you are feeding her to help her along. And a nipple shield might also be helpful at this stage of development.
Hi Barb,:
I'm not BF'ing her at the moment because she has no reflex to do it. She can't get any suction on my nipple, a dummy, a bottle or a finger. We are just waiting for her to learn that skill. Impatiently.
xo
M
:hug: Maruschke..
She will breastfeed, she will get there. While, generally, the whole suck, swallow, breathe, reflex comes in between 35 to 37 weeks, some babies take longer then others and that is completely normal. Sometimes it will just click and they go from doing no sucks to sucking every feed in a day or two, and for others it is very very gradual. Sometimes babies who have had blood sugar problems can take a bit longer then others as well. Work on her being home around her due date and anything before that is a good bonus.
Maruscke
Hugs. I know it's all so difficult, but in a couple of years time it will be a distant memory. As far as the suck reflex goes, my eldest was born at 37+4 and barely had any suck reflex, but it came with time. As for transporting EBM, you can put it in sterilised bottles at home and tip it into the hospital containers when you get there. (I used to write my name on my bottles, and then when I bought them to the nursery the nurses would give me some more containers).
Serenity- hi!! Glad to see bub is still safely inside. Fingers still crossed for mid to late august!
As for me- 32 weeks now! Have had a couple of false contractions over the last couple of weeks, but everything is still looking good. I just have to keep my feet up a bit more.
Chris
DS1
DD
DS2
#4 due Sep
Thank you :hug::
She WILL come home. She just needs to get stronger.
We knew that the average stay for Gastro-kids is 6 weeks, which was DD's EDD on the 20th of January.
We said from Day 1 we wanted to be home for Australia Day. We held onto that, and we got home on the 25th. :)
Set a realistic goal, maybe around her EDD and hold onto that. It saves disappointment.
There were times we didn't think we'd ever come home and it was horrible. Especially being 500kms from home.
Maruschke, I never post in this thread because my DD was born at 36 weeks and I kind of really never considered her a prem (although technically she was I guess!) She had a really bad sucking reflex. When we were discharged we had to feed her EBM either by medicine cup or by dropper. It did improve. It just took time. She/we never really got the hang of the breast but she did learn to take EBM by bottle. Just keep going. Try to get some sleep, or do something just for you to refresh your mind and your body. I really hope your little one gets to come home soon.
Much hugs :hug: xxx
Thanks all. She suddenly (and I mean... didn't have anything at 1 pm, was sucking like a champ at 8 pm???) developed the skill to suck a dummy but it hasn't really translated to taking bottles yet. Though she is waking and demand feeding and showing lots of rooting signs. Just waiting...
THat's a great sign. it'll happen :hug:
Terrific!! :hug:
For DD it just "clicked" one day and she drank a whole 40mls of EBM.