okay, Aitch the shabby parent has found her prem dd's vitamins at last... what's the best way to administer them?

[Aitch]

seems to be all piddly little syringes of this and that, is there a clever method that cuts down on faff?

i've got dalivit (drops, do i just drip them in or am i being an idiot?) and sytron and folic acid. cheers.

firstly congrats to you all aitch and family on the birth and please do take care of your self and be a little lazy in the next 6 - 8 weeks to help you recover from all the pre birth stress and the op.(i speak from experience)
secondly- they are all the same vits my dd had as a baby and although a faff it is just easier to squirt in and then feed (as dd gets bigger you could mix into the first mouthful of a sloppy dessert if you wished)

take care

Was waiting for you to appear on the prem board! Hope all is going well and you are looking after yourself as well as dd.

We used to give dalivit on a very small soft weaning spoon. Hate hate hate the design of the stupid dalivit bottle which means you can't get a syringe in them. Maybe someone else will have a clever system for doing it. Chatee - did you actually manage to drip them into your dd's mouth?! Very impressed.

Is she just having everything once a day? We had quite a complicated regimen for ds so I made a chart and ticked off each drug when he'd had them, otherwise I would never have remembered with my sleep deprived brain. I also nicked a load of disposable sterile syringes from work so I didn't have to keep washing out the ones we got from the hospital. If you know a friendly scientist you could ask them or maybe buy direct from manufacturer? If you're only giving once a day then probably easy to just wash them out though...

oh bloomin heck.

well dd2's put on her birth weight, hurray!
and now the vitamins have made her puke up all her milk... boo!

could not drip, also narked at the dalivit bottle. we're giving iron twice a day, that was the one she hated the most. the other two in the morning. before a feed, i now realise.

c'mon, i need your top tips preemie mums.

Well, when DS was still being tube fed I just administered them through the tube, but as soon as I got him home from hospital (three weeks after birth) and he was breastfeeding I just stopped all vit drops.

Sorry Aitch, how prem is your dd?

Used to mix em into some expressed milk to make him take it from a liile spoon - probably all wrong though.

DS didn't get given/need vitamins (tbh as soon as he was feeding the hospital lost all interest in him and nothing was ever said about him being prem ever again), but we did have to give him antibiotics for 8 weeks last year. There's an adaptor that goes into the bottle to let you put in a syringe and draw up the right amount.

As they kept giving us more and more with each bottle of antibs we have loads kicking around - if you'd like some, CAT me with your address and I'll post them. Or just get DH to look pathetic at a pharmacist and they will just give them away I think.

I don't think those adaptors fit on the dalavit bottle unfortunately. Unless you can rip the stupid drippy thing off somehow. I tried without success!

Congrats to dd for reaching her birthweight! Could you give the vitamins before a feed to prevent the puking?

BTW just saw your other thread about coming home and am amazed your dd is home so early - she must be doing absolutely brilliantly!

Oh Lord I used to hate the routine of all of this with DD1 - these drops before a feed, these ones after a feed, blah blah blah. It was much easier when she was being tube fed (what with being able to wind her just by drawing the syringe back up!). It's a faff but it doesn't go on forever. I guess you just need to get a routine (eg if it's only once a day, give drops before the first feed you do downstairs) and stick to it.

Good luck!

Ah, I see. Scrub that plan then.

Congratulations on the birth of your LO!

You can get that dropper thing off the top of the dalivit bottle.

Much easier to get the syringe in then.

Seems like a faff at first but will soon become second nature.

Congrats on dd Aitch. She must be doing well for you to get her home already.

I actually preferred the drops to syringe (nicked a load of syringes from SCBU before leaving - told to do it on the quiet by a nurse, we aren't wasters). Syringe ds tended to spit it all back out again, drops you could do it slowly in stages.

I took the funny dispenser thing out of the top of the bottle then used a tiny syringe in the side of the mouth then fed straight away. good luck

I stopped giving my DD her vits, Dalavit and Sytron after trying to syringe them in for 2mths. Also because they made her so sick, weight gain was a major issue and I really didn't think it was worth the faff for her to only puke it all back up again!

The Sytron was the worst and I told the consultant who prescribed Nifirex which comes in an easy dropper bottle and according to Babyrascal - cos she laps it up! - tastes v nice.

The Dalavit I gave up on - you can remove the dropper thing - slide a knife under the plastic dropper top and flick up - carefully!! Although recently she has been more recpetive and I now just 'shake' a few drops into her mouth each day.

Haven't given her folic acid since she was 5mths old (now 9mths!) for reasons above. The consultant has agreed that I don't need to carry on with this either. In fact my DD paediatrician is undertaking research into the over prescribing of Folic - current recommendations is 1ml/day but this is thought to be overdosing and the more appropriate dosage is 1ml per week!)

Met up with friends from NICU and only one out of 6 of us is still giving the vits, sytron and folic. That one that is has a VERY sickly baby hmmmmmmmm

All are doing well developmentally.

I would try to give them to BabyAitch if you can do it fairly easily but don't stress too much about it. I also requested blood tests on DD to check levels and all were fine!!! - maybe you could do this and make an informed decision on whether BabyAitch actually needs them.

Sorry that's a bit of a waffley post but off out but didn't want to not post!!

i will try but yes, a blood test is a good idea at some point.

dh has super-strong nails so he flicked the lid thing off no problem, it's just that she hated them. fingers crossed she gets over it.

syntron tastes horrific btw.

Hi aitch....random idiot again here

How many syringes have you got and what size are they?

We had 1 ml syringes which was easier to measure the required dose than the 5ml syringes that most pharmacies stock. It is also easier to get a 1ml one in a tiny baby's mouth. Boots do the 1ml ones. ask at the pharmacy if you need too, they will often sell them for about 50p and makes life easier.

The Dalivit, as others have said flick the plastic bit of hte top off with a knife and throw it away. Stick syringe straight in bottle to measure up the amount. I did this with the sytron too, easier than the rubber adapter thing; but that's me.

As for giving them....well our DTDs just sat and lapped them up from syringe. Part of the routine.

As for if they are necessary? Well they absolutely were for my 27wk's. Premmies do not have the same iron stores as a full term baby. My DTDs had numerous blood transfusions in teh first 3 months, even when on sytron and would undoubtedly have had more if I didn't continue with the sytron at home. I am sure it is less important for a 34wker, but I am note sure how much less IYSWIM...but I wouldn't stop if I could help it.

Dalivit...wel consultant told me that they are automatically prescribed for all SCBU patients for 12m. Again I would be trying to use them as much as I could (especially when bf), but worry less about them than the sytron.

Folic acid...dunno...my DTDs didn't have foic acid. They had calciferol (Vit D) though...so opinions on what is important and what is not have obviously changed in teh last 7yrs.

You have only doen 1 day. It does get easier to measure and administer....

When she gets older you can count the drops of Dalivit into her food...but then I am not sue how that works with BLW!!!

As I think I said on teh other thread though - do not mix the syton and dalivit in teh same food/milk/tube cos it makes a horrible brown mess.

i think you're going to have to change your name

lol dd is asleep on my lap holding onto the milk pump tube... i wonder if she's missing her umbilical cord?

we have the 1ml syringes but will try to gt more astwo will be annoying.

I think I wuite like it actually

I think it (dare I say it ) suits be

this may help

Aitch- I have a few 1ml syringes going spare which I can post to you if you like (you can CAT me if needed)? Had a load when DD was small. They are sterilisable, but after lots of sterilising sometimes the markings wear off.

I always prised the dropper part of the dalivit or abidec bottle off (using a knife) then drew up syringes directly- and squirted into the corner of DD's mouth so tongue less likely to push it out.

Hopefully within 6 months you may be able to drop the vits.
How's the BFing going? You've brought back fond memories of the double pumps...

Good luck with it all, 'tis a rapid learning curve...Hope DD keeps thriving & you're recovering ok too.