After your preemie turns one. . .

[DonnaBallona]

what happens?! I mean, I realise not much immediatly but I keep reading about cutting out bottles, swapping bottles with beakers, things they should be doing and eating and Im getting mildly confused.

Brooke has been referred to the dietician now because she is STILL only 14lb at 11 months bless her. We are still under the peadiatrician because she is off the chart with her weight and height (waaaaaay under the 0.4th centile) -she is incredibly small for her age and doesnt eat much at all. she's never been a big milk drinker either-however she has ALWAYS been the same so Im not worried at all.

At the moment, she is cutting out her morning bottle so she is left with a bottle at 5.30am, a bottle at 3.00pm and 7pm before bed-then obviously 3 varied meals a day.

Im trying to encourage her to have a snack in between her breakfast and her lunch of some fruit and a beaker of cows milk or formula but she's having none of it.

Whats everyone else doing or working towards?! Im pretty much just guessing at the moment but because she's so small and only 9 months corrected I dont know whether I SHOULD be cutting out milk/bottles yet and introducing beakers?!

Sorry for long rambly post-can you tell im confused?!

 

[Marleysgirl]

I can't answer your questions, but I will be following the answers closely - I suspect Andrew is going to be a tiny baby same as Brooke, he's way below the chart too!

 

[Dona]

Hey Donna,

I totally understand where your coming from. OK I don't have the worry about Archie's size but I am still confused on when to cut out bottles etc. Archie has onc when he wakes up, one before bed and one at 2.30pm. I tried to cut the latter one out but he started wakening during the night so he obviously still needs it. I have been trying to get Archie to drink from a cup but he's not liking it..I think the nursery will help with that - he starts in two weeks time.

Its so hard having a prem babies, so many questions with not a lot of places to get answers from.

It is a guessing game but I always go by the corrected age. xxx

 

[DonnaBallona]

^^ do you think so? so I should be looking at what a 9month old is doing instead?! Its sooooooo confusing, because she's doing everything developmentaly that an 11month old should be (I think?!) but her weight means that the food side of it is a real worry.

I asked the peadiatrician yesterday what she thought and she said that honestly she didnt know either, so thats why she has been referred

Thanks for the input ladies Im thinking that this guessing game is the way forward! Oh, and Marleys mum, Ill let you know what I decide / what works when I figure it out!!!

 

[premmiemum123]

I am going to go by corrected age otherwise I get so confused! Our weaning onto solids is not going too well as Emily seems to only want to eat Carrot puree (this after 6 weeks) am not panicking just yet as she is only 4 months corrected (7 months actual). If I am still in this position in 3 months time (7 months corrected, 10 months actual) where she is still refusing Stage 2 foods then I will seek advice. She stills loves her milk.
Emily is on four bottle feeds and two small puree meals.
I don't want to rush her as she was pushed so hard in the unit (time off CPAP, increased feeds, etc) I want to let the her go at her own pace now.

At the end of the day it is your choice and you need to do what feels right for you and Brooke.
Agree with Dona, there is just no great advice out there for Preemie mums that is why these forums are priceless.

Good luck whatever you decide.

x

 

[sherryberry79]

Millie is also off the charts, she only weighs 7lb 11oz at five months old (nearly two months corrected).
Weaning at the moment sems like a minefield. She is five months old but the size of your average newborn, even thinking about starting to wean seems wrong, but I know that if I am to go by what bliss says I ought to be considering it in the near future.

Just to make things more confusing, when I questioned the neo-natal unit and Millie's consultant about it shortly before discharge, they said it was not something I would need to to in the near-future.....totally contradicting the advice from Bliss!

Like Marleysgirl will be watching this thread with interest!

 

[Dona]

^^ do you think so? so I should be looking at what a 9month old is doing instead?! Its sooooooo confusing, because she's doing everything developmentaly that an 11month old should be (I think?!) but her weight means that the food side of it is a real worry.

I asked the peadiatrician yesterday what she thought and she said that honestly she didnt know either, so thats why she has been referred

Thanks for the input ladies Im thinking that this guessing game is the way forward! Oh, and Marleys mum, Ill let you know what I decide / what works when I figure it out!!!

Im even more confused now LOL!

 

[Marleysgirl]

I wasn't a preemie, but my Mum apparently started slowly weaning me from 3 weeks old, with mushed banana and milk/rusk mixture!

 

[embojet]

I dont know what Im meant to be doing, but Im just kind if following Mollys lead. At the moment she is having a bottle in the morning and before bed, and 3 meals (sometimes two as she doesnt always eat breakfast). I'm thinking about cutting out the morning bottle as she woont often eat breakfast but then she wont be having much milk as she will only have it out of a bottle and only at those 2 times . She has a little bit of juice from a sippy cup throughout the day but will only have about an oz if that. She cant really drink well enough out of a sippy cup to make it worth while having milk in it anyways.

 

[AP]

Oooh god how confusing is this?!?!?

I'm getting the feeling we should just forget about ages and go with the flow, when it comes to feeding and weaning!

Sherryberry I was told by neonatal to wean now (13 weeks corrected) yet HV is dead against it.

Like I mentioned in previous thread, HVs and such go by books but Bliss is a 30 year old charity, who were around at the time when I was a 29 week preemie, so i am inclined to trust their advice on feeding!

But that could all go to pot because our preemies are all so different not just to full term babies, but to each other too!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Our consultant dismissed our questions about weaning this morning (20wks/9wks) and suggested we ask again after the next appointment (when he'll be 24wks/13wks).

But she wants us to increase his EBM, which is impossible as when he's full, he stops drinking - I didn't tell her but I'm already trying to increase the daytime bottles as he's beginning to sleep through and thereby missing one of the feeds!

So, after discussing with DH, we've decided to push ahead with our plans for weaning. We're prepared to take it slowly, possibly even at half the rate of the recommended weaning plans (so a full week on baby rice before any puree etc). I'll let you all know how it goes!

 

[bumpsmum]

I tend to just go with the flow myself, like everyone has said there is so much conflicting advice and no one willing to give a concrete answer when it comes to prem babies

For us its a bit of trial and error - Matthew dropped tea time feed about 4 weeks ago and we got in a good pattern, now he has this sickness bug and conjunctivitus were all over the place again but I think he is not far from dropping his lunchtime milk as he only takes 2-3oz now and would happily take water or juice so Id imagine by this time next month he would be only on morning and night with drinks in between.

If anyone has a 'bodycare' shop near them htey have these training bottles for £1 with good handles cant remember the make Nuby maybe? that I give Matthew water or juice in and encourage him to hold it himself - it has to only have a wee bit in or its too heavy for him.

Finger food and introducing snacks for us is 'ok give it a try and be on standby if he gags or anything'

For our babies I think sippy cups etc may take slightly longer to master and would not be worried if Brooke was not ready for it.

I thik mummy's know themselves when their lo ready to drop feeds if she is still taking a good amount Id let her have it unless she's refusing then you can cut it out for a day or so and see if she misses it xx

 

[keldac]

Mikayla will be 1 on 1st Feb (wow where did that year go!) and I am going by corrected age. This is only because she seems to be doing what she should for that age! She only weighs 15lb and is still tiny but drs very happy with her progress.
She has beakers now and no bottles. She eats mainly what we eat but occasionaly jars of food when we're having a vindaloo!
She will have beaker of milk at breakfast, afternoon and before bed. She does eat a lot and has snack as well - but still doesn't gain wait!
I'm due to see the consultant on 18th Jan and am going to ask whether I can start her on cows milk or keep her on formula??

 

[DonnaBallona]

A-HA! Keldac, I was thinking about you and little Mikayla the other day!

She sounds alot like Brooke in the weight stakes. . .how did you get her off the bottles and onto beakers?!

thats what Im working on but I have a suspicion Im being outwitted by my own 11-month-old!!!!

 

[keldac]

A-HA! Keldac, I was thinking about you and little Mikayla the other day!

She sounds alot like Brooke in the weight stakes. . .how did you get her off the bottles and onto beakers?!

thats what Im working on but I have a suspicion Im being outwitted by my own 11-month-old!!!!

ah nice to know you were thinking of us

TBH I moved her to a beaker at 6 months in the day and she refused for the first day - but I just tried the next and next and she took it! Bedtime milk is in a beaker (last 2 weeks only) and she has not complained at all. Suppose I;m just lucky she's a greedy minx and won't refuse however I give it to her!

 

[bumpsmum]

Mikayla will be 1 on 1st Feb (wow where did that year go!) QUOTE]

hey mrs also cant believe Mikayla will be 1 soon, I remeber your journey when we were both expecting then to follow you 6 weeks later myself. Some updated pics of your wee one would be lovely also add Mikayla's bday onto our baby's birthday thread, we can all celebrate together xx