Baby born at 35 weeks

[TwinklyTaupeSnail]

Hiya ! My baby was born at 35+ 6
we aren’t allowed home until she’s fully taking bottles she’s fully well in herself however just not getting the hang off drinking bottles due to this she’s on a ng feeding tube , I’m look for advice if any other mums been in same situation and how long did it take for your little one to eventually latch and drink full bottles

My third was born at 34+5 and very similar as in he was healthy with no requirement for oxygen but had no sucking reflex. We stayed in hospital for 2 weeks and he was on an NG tube for the first 12 days. The hospital slowly introduced 1 bottle a day x

My two were born at 34+5 and 35+1, dc1 was in for 2 weeks, had iv antibiotics and jaundice and I really think the NG tube caused more delays as no matter how many times I asked the nicu nurses to cup or bottle feed dc1 overnight, the feeding chart would always show dc1 was fed via the NG and it wasnt even attempted.

Dc2 was on the ward with me the 1st 4 days before going to nicu and having surgery and being nil by mouth for the following 7 days. Dc2 still spent less time in nicu than dc1. It wasnt our 1st rodeo and I was better prepared, dc2's NG was put in to check stomach contents not for feeding, so when the checks werent needed and I noticed the NG was being used for feeds as a convenience overnight, I asked a nurse to take it out and we had dc2 home within days.

I also had a premie same age - I’d fight to remove the NG tube personally as this causes delays. Luckily we have a family from the medical field to advocate for us - can you try cup feeding or speak to the feeding team?

I have asked about the ng tube as its being used over night and in day they will attempted bottles before tube feeding her but they keep reassuring me it’s for the best

We are currently doing bottles through day and what she don’t drink goes through tube and she’s tube fed through night

Hugs. It’s stressful. Mine were born at 34+6 and were both fed by tube for a week (?) or so.

How are things going now @TwinklyTaupeSnail?

Huge congratulations too

Thank you !! We are home now discharged after 15 days which felt like the longest 15 days , as annoying as it when people say “ it will just click “ that’s exactly what happened being in nicu is something that will forever be with you ❤️‍🩹

I'm going through something very similar. Unfortunately, one of my twins was IUD so I had an emergency c-section at 32+4. My surviving twin has just been discharged from NICU with a tube after 4 weeks. She's perfectly healthy other than struggling with her feeds. She can take a bottle and do it beautifully when she's hungry but I'm struggling to get her to take all oral feeds of the full amount she's "supposed" to be on.

I don't know if the struggle for the past 4 weeks has been the NG tube but I think the prem milk is giving her constipation and trapped wind so she just doesn't want to drink it all.

At what point were you allowed to take the tube out? Did you still have to be fully "suck feeding"?

We have the health visitor coming on Tuesday and she'll be 37+2 corrected so almost 5 weeks old and still not on the bottle. I know she's prem but I feel like I'm ignoring my mum instincts and what my daughter is showing me because of what I've been told by the hospital.

Any and all advice is welcome!

Is she gaining as she should be @Imthegirl95?