13 wo nil by mouth

[hairymelons]

DS2 is having surgery on Thursday, will be nil by mouth from about midnight on Wednesday. I'm worried that this is going to be really distressing for him. Especially as, if he is hungry and crying and I pick him up he will be expecting to get a feed.

We've been trying to get him interested in a dummy since he was tiny, partly because there is some daily care which is a bit sore for him and partly because we knew this was coming up. He'll take it eventually but he's not that into it.

Just wondering if anyone has been through this with a small baby and how you managed it.

Thanks

They can't expect such a tiny baby to go 9 hours nil by mouth, surely? Have you spoken to a paediatrician about this?

He's at a children's hospital so is under a paedriactric surgical team.

He's having bowel surgery so I think it is fairly standard procedure. Awful, but standard.

I may be able to give him water in a bottle but I won't be able to feed him.

Just spoke to ward, I can feed him until 3am and he can have water until 7am. Bar any emergencies coming in, he should be going to theatre about 9am. So not too bad.

I'll wake him for a feed at half 2 then pray he has a really long sleep after that!

A warm bath is a lovely idea, he loves his baths.

Thanks. And, yikes.

I was going to asnwer you that my dd2 had to go 12 hours without food when she was 11 weeks for a barium swallow, she she was fine, I was a wreck. But I think you are feeling a little better about it all now. So I wanted to wish you both good luck

Thanks, I am feeling a bit better. Still feeling slightly sick about it so it helps to hear that you got through it ok.
Did your DD not cry a lot? I'm expecting screaming.

Best of luck. We're waiting for our DS 12.5 weeks to have surgery for a hernia - really not looking forward to the nil by mouth either. Hope it all goes well - let us know.

My nephew had an op at about 10 wks old and it was surprisingly no bother at all. IN teh hospital there was so much going on, he could be distracted. TRy not to worry and just take it as it comes.

Actually she didn't cry alot at all, until I had to give her the barium swallow mixture......then she cried the hospital down! . She was a bit out of sync for a few days afterwards though, it completely messed up her feeding and sleeping pattern. Having water does help fill their tummies a bit I think.

Tried to give him his last feed at 5am but couldn't rouse him properly. He woke up ravenous at 6am of course

He wasn't impressed with the water AT ALL but is now dozing with a dummy in.

Dreading when he wakes up properly. Mum arrives at 8 thank god.

Hi Just saw this - if breastfeeding i would give the baby to someone else to hold / walk about. This was what we did when DS had a hernia repair at 2 weeks.

Hi,my mum will be here in an hour to hold him. Hoping he'll sleep til then.
There's a chance the op will be cancelled because there are no HDU beds as yet. Would be a shame to put him through the nbm for nothing so I hope not.

Hi,my mum will be here in an hour to hold him. Hoping he'll sleep til then.
There's a chance the op will be cancelled because there are no HDU beds as yet. Would be a shame to put him through the nbm for nothing so I hope not.

I wonder how you are doing? Hope you are ok.

Hope he got the op and all went well x

Op went v well, thanks. He's lost more colon than we were expecting but he's recovering well.
He coped with not eating brilliantly- in fact, was a struggle to get him back on the breast. But we're away now.
Thanks :)

My son had to go nil by mouth for 8 or 9 hours at 10 weeks as he had to have a general anaesthetic to remove an extra finger. He survived, gupled down a couple of bottles when allowed and then slept all night and never had another night feed again!