Premature Baby and Weaning

[lollipop78]

Hi everyone, just wanted a bit of advice really, my ds is 6.1 months old (8 wks premature)and ive tried to start weaning her but she really doesnt seem interested, she wont open her mouth and when i finally get food in she spits it all out again. Should I keep trying or leave it a week or so and try again, ive tried 4 days in a row now and still not got anywhere. Do you think shes just not ready or needs a bit of a push? Any advice appreciated. Thanks

I would guess she isn't ready. Leave it a few days, if she was born 8 weeks premature I guess she is only around 4mos corrected? Often babies are ready to 6 months or even later. I wouldn't try and force feed her, she'll tell you when she's ready - my ds was ready at 23 weeks, he kept trying to grab food off our plates and could pick food up and put it in his mouth and he was getting upset at our eating! He's now 27 weeks and only eating small amounts, so it does take time,
HTH

wait til ready, my DTs were 5 weeks prem and took to it gradually and at different times, I'd leave it at least a week before you try again tbh

My ds was 7 weeks prem. He is now 29 weeks (so 22 wks cga) and I've started weaning him this week. He got the hang of opening his mouth for a spoon of puree on about the 3rd day. But he got the idea of picking food up (toast, banana, rice cake, fishfinger) and shoving it in his mouth, straight away. I don't know that he is swallowing much, but he is loving the experience.

The thing is, prem babies all develop differently. One 8-wk-early baby may be ready and able for food at 26 weeks and another may not be there until 34 weeks or later.

Anyway - they get all the nutrition they need from milk until they are one. So you could just leave it. Or give her some food to play with at mealtimes and see what she does.

How are you doing it?
Are you using purées or BLW?
The best way to see if they are ready is by giving them a boiled carrot stick or something and seeing how they manage with it. Once they can pick it up, put it in their mouth, chew and swallow they're ready, but even then they still don't need it.
Being born at 32 weeks he could quite possibly not be ready yet as if you age adjusted he would be only 4.1months so take it slow, leave it for while, and try doing food play til he tells you he is ready.
FWIW, I weaned DD at 6months, but as she was born at 32weeks I don't think she was ready yet and wish I'd waited.
Have a look at aitchs blog.
HTH

ooops www.babyledweaning.com not bayledweaning!!

Hi guys, thanks very much for your response and advice, i think i will leave it for a week or so and try again then, she seems to be hungry after milk so i thought she was ready but obviously she thinks different. Since shes getting all she needs from milk and doesnt necessarily need food yet I will quite happily leave it till shes ready...whenever that might be! Thank you ladies x

I don't think I would try BLW as that is really intended for babies who are over 6 months and your dd is only 4 months corrected. I had ds3 at 32 weeks and when I asked the paed about weaning, he said that you use the corrected age for developement but the actual age for weaning. I assume this is because a prem baby's iron stores deplete at the same rate as a full-term baby's.
I would leave it another week or two and stick to purees till she's 6 months corrected, and then do BLW if she seems ready.

Thing is chipmonkey, purées are no longer rec'd at 4 months anyway, so if waiting til 6 months corrected, it should be that with either, so BLW won't make a difference.

no, I meant purees at 6 months actual age, not 6 months corrected. I know what I'm saying is confusing but it's based on what the paed said to me and he was very pro-bfing and came from a country where extended bf was the norm.

In this case 6 months actual = 4 months corrected.
4 months corrected = too young for self-feeding as developmentally immature, therefore if weaning is recommended, then purees are the only thing you can give, surely?

Well, I see your point, but if the baby is ready internally it will be ready developmentally, apparently so if it managed to eat food by itself then it would be fine.

Personally, the only way I would try to wean now is BLW because it's the only way (unless baby is 6 months corrected) that you can tell their body is ready for it.

I don't think the "ready developmentally = ready internally" think necessarily applies to prem babies. Because they develop skills and muscles etc more slowly, more in line with their corrected age. But their intestines start developing as soon as they start working on milk - which is going to be pretty near their actual birthdate.

All very confusing, and nobody knows, really!

Ooops, I meant that the other way round, they may be ready internally, before developmentally, but won't be ready developmentally before internally.

Hi guys, thanks very much for your useful advice, im going to leave it a week or so and try again, not quite sure which method of weaning I shall try yet though, will have to think about that one. Lovin this site x