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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

BFing a premature baby

17 replies

moomin156 · 04/05/2011 08:21

Have just bought home my baby who is now 6 weeks old ( corrected age of 35+2) on alternate BF and NG feeds......really struggling with positioning for latch. She is so tiny with a small mouth that its difficult. i get hot and bothered, she stresses. When we get it right its brilliant but we both get very frustrated. Any suggestions please

OP posts:
mynameisdifferent · 04/05/2011 10:09

Ask if there is a lactation consultant in your area, they should be able to help.

All the best xx

Loopymumsy · 04/05/2011 11:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KD0706 · 04/05/2011 11:38

Well done moomin you sound like you are doing fantastically. I have been where you are (though my DD was born at 31 weeks so not as early as your baby).

My DD didn't even latch on at all till she was equivalent of 36.5weeks.

Definitely try and seek out some RL support. Maybe even a peer supporteer to sit with you and be, umm, supportive, might help? When my DD finally latched on I had my mum staying for a few days and it was so helpful to just have somebody there.

I think you should view every BF as a fabulous achievement. So many prems (and indeed term babies) never 'get' BFing so you and your little one are both doing so so well.

crikeybadger · 04/05/2011 13:33

Would trying some biological nurturing help? See here for more info

Hope things get better for you. Congrats on getting this far. Smile

hildathebuilder · 04/05/2011 13:49

Try to relax. Easier said than done I know but if you relax and it works great. If you don't manage for a particular feed, don't worry use the NG tube and try again next time. With my DS who was 29+3 that worked better. He then sometimes did 2 BF, and then none for a while, trying one on one off was not always the best way as my son didn't want to play.

Do try the rugby ball hold. little ones find it much easier, particualrly if you can hold the weight of your breat with your other hand while your LO is feeding.

Do give yourself time 35 weeks is still a bit small and a bit little to be latching well. Most prems don't get sucking until 34 weeks after all (although my DS had his own ideas about that too). Keep expressing in the meantime. Oh and get you DP/DH to do the tube feeds so you can get some sleep whenever possible. Its been a stressful time.

Don't compare yourself to mothers with term babies. Or even babies who were born at 35 weks and the same gestational age. That is not the baby you have, and comparisons drive you mad.

Do lots of kanagaroo care, skin to skin etc. If you partner is involved get him to do so too.

Try and make sure your LO is awake when you feed. Chaneg them before feeeding but only to keep them alert.

try to avoid the rigid hospital schedule if your Lo is awake and hungry when a feed is not otherwise due. My DS dietician told me DS should snack if he wanted as his tummy was so small he could do what he wanted.

Although I second RL support be careful that its with someone who knows about prems. They are different and a lot of the advice I found was not suitable for a baby who came home at 4lb 14. Has your hospital got a lactation consultant, or a prem support group? What about a SALT, my DS salt was the best for advise on prem baby feeding, and really supportive. they can be much more helpful than the NCT, LLL etc as they are more likely to understand the issues you face.

Persevere, try and stay patient, try not to worry, try to believe it will all come good in the end, take it one feed at a time, and then when it starts to click one day at a time. i told myself I would feed DS until he came home, then until his due date, then until 3 months, then until 6 months, then until I went back to wrok, then until he was 1 and now, well i'll feed him until we stop but I have no idea how long that will be. However accept if it doesn't its not that big a deal (so many prem mums beat themselves up about when feeding fails, which it can do more easily with a prem than a term baby - I am still feeding DS at nearly 15 months, but I know so many people who weren't so lucky. Now I can't believe how big a deal it was then. There have been far bigger hurdles with DS and in the end feeding is just one tiny part of parenting)

moomin156 · 04/05/2011 21:40

thank you everyone for your advice and support. i have tried the rugby ball but find that harder. i am trying to relax and when i do it does work better.....need to feel less guilty about when it doesnt work and i have to use the tube.......i guess thats what its there for. She is doing well and i am very proud of her. Will look into any support thats out there.
Also think i will try to stop the rigid regime from nicu and use my instinct more......think that will stress me less.
thank you all once again.

OP posts:
lizzytee · 05/05/2011 13:16

Hi Moomin....I would second hilda's advice...my dd1 came home at 35+6 weighing 1.96kg having been born at 27+5. Making the transtion to breastfeeding was a massive step for us and I now realise that part of it was leaving behind the very controlled and structured environment of SCBU and getting to know each other in a normal mum and baby way. Do look for RL support, if only to meet other mothers of young babies...I would tend to agree that it is better at this stage to look for bf support from an NCT/LLL counsellor or LC rather than peer support

BLISS also have an excellent parent messageboard at www.blissmessageboard.org.uk - it is a good way to find other parents who are at a similar stage in their journey.

Many congratulations on getting your lo home!

libelulle · 05/05/2011 20:15

I found that things clicked into place round about term. Ds was 26+3 and I started trying to bf him at around 32 weeks. Though he got the hang of it pretty quickly he kept his ng tube in until c 39 weeks which took the pressure off both him and me. Once it came out we never looked back and he is still fully bf (plus solids obv) at nearly 11 months actual age. So I'd say just persevere, and know that it'll get easier and easier as he grows; it is a nightmare doing effectively triple feeding (expressing, ng and bf) but you'll manage to ditch two of them before you know it! looking back I'm so proud I managed it, as should you be!

libelulle · 05/05/2011 20:22

Sorry, meant to say too, use the ng tube without shame, I don't think ds took what I'd consider a full feed from me until very shortly before we ditched the ng tube - I used to shove an extra 20/30ml down the tube almost for good measure:) in hospital they are v protocol driven about ml/kg, but my lovely dietitian basically said that once they are home, you can give them as they'll take! (within reason! It was her way of saying 'relax you aren't in hospital now')

libelulle · 05/05/2011 20:23

as much as they'll take, sorry, typing on iPhone while feeding

MissMarjoribanks · 05/05/2011 20:31

The advice on this thread is great. My DS didn't properly latch on at all until he was 8 weeks old - the equivalent of term plus a week and a bit. We tube fed in hospital until we realised we were effectively bed blocking by keeping him in trying to establish bfing and we started on bottles of expressed milk at the equivalent of 37+1 to get him out. I perservered with the expressing until he latched on and we bfed until 12mo.

At the equivalent of 35+2 my DS didn't have a clue what to do with a proffered boob, so your DD is doing really well. Just keep plugging away.

moomin156 · 11/05/2011 14:05

Just to update to say things have really improved over the last week, ditched the nicu regime and went with the flow. changed where i feed and have alittle nesting corner in the living room....chair, footstool, v pillow.......remote control. We are both doing so much better and the ng tube was removed yesterday as she has put on even more weight and we had stopped using the tube.
Not sure how we will get on if we arent in the house ( or my parents or friends) but i guess thats the next hurdle to cross.
Thank you all for your support......it really helped

OP posts:
crikeybadger · 11/05/2011 14:56

Lovely news moomin Smile

So nice to hear that things are going well for you and LO.

KD0706 · 11/05/2011 15:00

So pleased things are going well moomin
just keep posting on here if you need to off load or ask other people's experiences.

When my DD (finally) started BFing directly from me, I was forever on here asking the most daft questions. It really is a fabulous resource with everybody's experiences to draw on.

lizzytee · 11/05/2011 16:09

Moomin

Lovely to hear from you and great news that the ng tube is out. The remote control is also essential to the process WinkGrin.

glendathegoodwitch · 11/05/2011 17:33

try lying down on your side with little one on her side - we advise mums (all mums - c section, preemies, big babies etc...) to try this as you only have to position yourself and boob then co-ordinating you, boob, babies mouth, babies hand, babies legs etc.....

lie on your side on flat bed with your elbow bent to support your head so you can see whats happening - lie baby on her side with her nose level to your nipple (make sure theres a towel or cushions behind her so she doesnt roll away - then with your other hand use it to bring your breast to tease her cheek!!!

hope you crack it and remember every little bit you can give her is helping her massively!!!!

good luck x

balletmoo · 11/05/2011 21:34

Hey Moomin!

Congratulations on the birth of your LO and great news that things are starting to slot into place with feeding. I thought I would share my experiences with you.

My DS was born at 34 weeks and was in NICU for 2 weeks, mostly fed via the NG tube. In the end, he was progressing really well, but rather than use the NG tube, the nurses started bottle feeding him expressed breast milk. He took to this really well and was discharged soon after he got the hang of it, minus the ng tube.

Once home, I tried really hard to breast feed, but he was just too small. I couldn't even get my nipple into his mouth. I hired a hospital grade breast pump and kept expressing, but kept trying to breast feed. Like you, it worked best when I was relaxed - and it tended to work best when lying down.

In the end, it took 8 weeks to crack the breastfeeding, but he's 8 months old now and still bfing. Keep at it. It's all worthwhile, no matter how hard it is.

good luck!

x

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