# Desats whilst feeding??need advice!!



## Olivias_mum

hi i had my baby girl olivia on 15th december 2009 at 29 weeks, shes was ventilated for 8 days then cpap for 4 weeks n shes on low flow oxygen at the moment, she has been in about 0.01 L/min today. She is having trouble with bottle feeding, requiring extra oxygen to keep her sats up and desating to the 60s and 70s whilst feeding. Has anyone got any ideas on how to stop her desating? she seems to choke on the milk so we have tried low flow teats which have helped a bit. She was 2lb 11 at birth and now 4lb 11 and on alternate bottle/NG tube feeds. She is 36 weeks gestational age. Thanks xxx


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## TwoBumps

Hi! Its great to hear that your little one is doing so well! My twins were both ventilated and then were on oxygen, Ben until he was about 5 weeks and Joshua until he was about 7 weeks (they were born at 31 + 3). They both used to desat whilst feeding and needed extra oxygen and the docs and nurses said that this was a common problem and as their lungs got stronger this would stop. They also said that all babies desat whilst feeding you just don't know about it because they are not hooked up to sats monitors!!

I found that the boys used to hold onto their wind and this used to make them desat....so frequent winding and sitting them more upright when they had finished seemed to help. 

It was also something that improved quickly as they got older...I think they only develop a good sucking reflex at about 35 weeks and it takes a while after this for them to learn how to suck and breathe at the same time...Ben in particular used to drink it sooo fast that he would forget to breathe and his sats would plummet into the low 80's/ high 70's!

Our little ones are amazing and she will suddenly get it and be able to feed without desating so dramatically so try not to worry. Good luck and let us know how she gets on x


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## AP

^^^^ I agree. My lil Alex used to do the same and was pants with bottles for a while even at home.

Somehow, it all just comes together when they hit about full term....a certain Dona here told me that when we met in hospital, when i felt worried , my god, she was so right.


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## Dona

sb22 said:


> ^^^^ I agree. My lil Alex used to do the same and was pants with bottles for a while even at home.
> 
> Somehow, it all just comes together when they hit about full term....a certain Dona here told me that when we met in hospital, when i felt worried , my god, she was so right.

38 weeks gestation is the magic number! You will start to see huge improvments from then on. Xxx


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## premmiemum123

I had this problem too which is what brought me to this site and it was soooo frustrating at the time, my LO kept desating down to the 30s yet looked ok, just a little pale. Eventually her desats improved to 60s and again she looked pink and well profused. We worked out she was holding her breath due to refluxing. A good poke in the ribs sorted her out. In the end I persuaded the doctors to let me take her home by rooming in without monitors and showing I could cope with her holding her breath. After getting her home for a few weeks she still held her breath whilst feeding we had poke her in the ribs to remind her to breath and she was fine. Our premmie babies like to test us. 
As TwoBumps has stated all babies desat when feeding, I imagine it is hard to suck in milk and breath so your oxygen levels will drop. 
Olivia will get there in the end...honestly she just need to grow and mature...she is doing well...


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## embojet

Molly used to do this too. We used the 'pacing' method. We would keep pushing the bottle to the side of her mouth whilst she caught a few breaths, this seemed to help a bit as she got older.


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## AP

awww i actually remember your post back then preemiemum123!


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## Foogirl

Abby used to desat when she was tube fed, or just after a bottle feed. We would place her on her tummy and watch the numbers jump right back up.


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## Laura2919

I think its common and if not all it happens to most. It did with the twins and I used to panic but the NNU nurse said it was common and just that they arent used to drinking from a bottle so its tires them out x


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## AP

I remember the day we kept looking at the sats monitor while feeding alex, as always, and one day, she didnt desat. It was amazing! It was all go from there!


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## embojet

After a while some of the nurses would turn off MOlly's sats monitor as they knew she would be fine. I dont think you need to worry about it x


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## Anna Barry

Hello, Your little one sounds like she is doing fab! My little one born at 25 weeks is now 36 weeks gestation and she too is on low flow. She often desats when or just after feeding as is down to reflux, she is taking gaviscon after feed which is helping. Nurses have told me that it is normal for babies born early to do this as lungs still immature and it is something that they grow out of.xxxxx


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## Josephs_Daddy

Desating can be very frustrating, and it leave you anxious and upset - just waiting for those monitors to start beeping again.

However, think about it. As adults, we de-sat. Our oxygen levels will drop when we talk, for example, as we dont have a steady in-out breathing pattern whilst we're gassing away!

When we yawn, sneeze and cough. With our LO's, though, this is greatly accenuated due to their small size and can seem much more dramatic.

I know its frustrating, but its something that they will grow out of. Best of luck!:winkwink:


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## Olivias_mum

Olivia choked on her milk today (well it looked like she was choking) and desated to 39% and went a horrible grey colour. She has desated worst than that before but never in my arms and she has never looked that bad (could see all her veins etc) it was awful, she had to be turned upto 1L oxygen to get her sats back up (she went back down to 0.01L about a minute later) it was just very scary though and felt like a bit of a set back :( xx


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## bumpsmum

:hugs: :hugs: it will seem more scary if you were holding her as panic sets in, Matthew never had this problem but now and then he would go a bit pale when feeding and pause. I cant begin to imagine how seeing her like this makes you feel. As she gets bigger and stronger these episodes should decrease. As alot of parents on here will agree one day Olivia wll just kick that 02 and give you a big surprise :hugs: x


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