This week I have been seeing a baby newly discharged from the special care baby unit.(I'm a HV for those who don't know) He was there as he had been born at 33 weeks.
The special care staff "topped up" his feeds with formula even though he was breast feeding. I do understand that they have to ensure a certain number of calories but it seemed he was being given lots of formula even though Mum wanted to breastfeed. They apparently even gave a complimentary feed the day he was discharged.
I went in 3 days later. He had been weighed just before discharge and was 4lb 7oz. Mum requested that I weigh him again when I found he had dropped 2oz. I repeated the weight 4 days later as his Mum was anxious and he'd lost a further 0.5oz. It took a great deal of persuading to reassure his Mum that what he was getting from her breastmilk could not be obtained from a bottle. I offered to re-check his weight today and he had regained 1oz. Hooray - so his Mum felt much happier.
I really feel that his weight was influenced by the fact that they had given so many extra formula feeds in hospital that breastfeeding was not established when he went home - hence the weight loss. Is this common practice everywhere?
It seems madness - if a baby is premature surely the breastmilk is more precious than ever. I know they have to give a certain number of calories but even so - surely they could have helped his Mum with expressing milk and given this first. From what she says they rarely offered this option. So he went home with breastfeeding scarcely established - it seems neglectful to me.
Rant over.
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Infant feeding
Does "topping up" give a false impression of weight?
12 replies
Amanda3266 · 07/04/2005 20:34
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