Ex 28 weeker home with NG tube

[Tarobun]

Hi all,
Just wanting some advice as DD (born 28+3) is home now (39 weeks), she is bottle fed on a perscribed amount per feed but shes only able to take third to half the bottle so is topped up on NG tube.
Doctors say she is medically fine and just needs time to build stamina to be able to take full bottles but having been trying for over 3 weeks now i am starting to lose hope. She is gaining weight well and volumes will increase, just feels like she wont ever catch up.

Im wondering if there are other mothers that have experience and how long it took to be completely tube-free?

Thanks!

Dd2 took around 4/5 weeks, then we had a blip and she had the tube back for another couple of days. Feeding was a long drawn out process for a long time (other issues) but we got there in the end. We had the support of a feeding specialist SLT from the point she was discharged from hospital.
Don’t rush it - it will be fine, and congratulations

Thanks Ornery. Good to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it doesn't feel like it.

I appreciate my DS was different as he was born at 35+0 but he was tube fed for about 3 weeks as he was under 4lb even at that gestation. It literally happened overnight.

I was really down and felt that he was never going to get it and be discharged as he could maybe manage only 5/10ml on every second feed then one day it was like someone flicked a switch and he could do it.

It was still tough and I remember stroking his cheeks etc to keep him going but we got there in the end. Cheap supermarket bottles were much more successful than tommee tippee in the early days too - they take less effort apparently and we also used fast flow tests.

Mine was not as prem (34 weeks) but it took her three weeks to get the hang of feeding. She found bottle easier than breast and we were prepared to do whatever was necessary. The breakthrough point was her repeatedly pulling out her ng tube and at that point feeding finally clicked.

Hi, very similar gestation here, 27+6. Cant comment on bottle feeding as i BF but your comment about "never catching up" struck a chord. I was obsessed with the charts in the red book, always wanting to get to the next centile. I know its hard but if your DD is gaining weight, keep going, you're obviously doing something right. She will catch up at some point, try not to put pressure on yourself x

DC1 was a 33 weeker with severe IUGR (barely 2lbs born) and very very slow to grow even with a NG tube. They only hit the 8lb mark at 5months old.

Those early months are etched in my mind. Constantly wishing the time away until they had caught up, obsessing over every last feed/the time in between feeds, even giving DC pep talks to not poo until after they had been weighed because every little speck of an ounce helped!
It was relentless.

But, here we are several years later and honestly you wouldn’t know that D.C. had been premature. It sounds like your LO is doing well already and gaining weight nicely and that’s all that matters. I know you must be desperate to get the NG tube out (I was - I couldn’t wait to see what DC actually looked like without tubes and wires at last!) but try not to get hung up on comparing them to other children, I caused myself so much extra worry by doing that. Your DC is doing well, they WILL get there when they are ready.
Best of luck

Thanks everyone for your supportive messages, happy to update that DD pulled out her tube a week ago and has been doing well without since!
Really appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences, it has really helped me get over this hurdle :)