Feeding/Growing Stage

[Jen1802]

My 26 weeker is now coming 34 weeks on Wednesday and is officially into the feeding/growing stage. She's moved into an open cot but is still taking all her feeds by tube. Can anyone tell me how long on average it took from their preemies entering this stage to getting them home? I'm so flipping exhausted, she's been in 50 days today and it just feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. She's tired a lot and can't stay awake long enough to latch on sometimes let alone feed. Its so frustrating... xo

 

[stepmum]

My 26 weeker is now coming 34 weeks on Wednesday and is officially into the feeding/growing stage. She's moved into an open cot but is still taking all her feeds by tube. Can anyone tell me how long on average it took from their preemies entering this stage to getting them home? I'm so flipping exhausted, she's been in 50 days today and it just feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. She's tired a lot and can't stay awake long enough to latch on sometimes let alone feed. Its so frustrating... xo

Didn't want to read and run, I'm sorry I can't advise much as your LO was quite a bit earlier than mine so has had a longer stay so my experience isn't really helpful to you, all I can say is that when they go into an open cot the nurses told me thats kind of the last step to the front door so to speak. I'm sure the earlier mummies will come in and advise better of this gestation.

P.S Hope your little princess is home with you soon x

 

[25weeker]

Its around 34 weeks that they develop the sucking reflex. I was breastfeeding and I think it probably took about 2-3 weeks for her to have fully mastered feeding.

I was always told to aim for her due date and anything beyond that is a bonus. Holly was in 100 days in total and came home 2 days before her due date. Your lo sounds like she is doing great and could be home in a number of weeks.

 

[AP]

I think this was about the time I got frustrated, so near yet so far!

Our preemie didn't manage properly until 2 weeks before due date. We were all set to go home tube feeding and then one day it just literally clicked, and she started sucking properly!

 

[jac33]

my girl was 5 weeks early and had problems feeding and was tube fed for about 10 days then started trying a bottle, it took a while for her to take her whole feed by bottle but she just needed practice.

 

[Jen1802]

Thanks everyone. I'm just so fed up with it all now. She is trying to breastfeed and does give the occasional strong sucks for a few seconds but they are few and far between. Hopefully since she's turning 34 weeks tomorrow things might start to advance a bit quicker this week. I've been quizzing the nurses about a release date but they don't have a crystal ball. The most info I got was from one nurse who said typically babies born at 26 weeks and earlier get home roughly two weeks before their due date provided there are no problems. XO

 

[AP]

Honestly I know that feeling so well!!Sounds like shes interested though - it is a hard process because they get tired so easily. Fingers crossed things improve this week for you xxx

 

[Foogirl]

It is so frustrating isn't it? It feels like you are treading water and not going anywhere. Abby was pretty much at the feeding / growing stage after her first week (born at 29 weeks) but we were in for another 5 after that. Feeding took a while to establish. If you are really struggling with the BFing, ask for a nipple shield. I was strongly against it and eventually after a month of beating myself up about it, I gave it a go and the difference was amazing. We were able to wean her off it after about a month. It can be so frustrating, but it will happen before you know it.

 

[mylittlebud1]

I remember this too. Evie was born at 27+2 days and came home the day i would've been 37 weeks pregnant. Evie had my breast milk right up until 36 weeks but i never intended to breast feed until i had prem baby and then thought i want to give this a go and she did pretty well but was still only tiny so it exhausted her and took ages and i got so frustrated because i just wanted her home. I made the decision to go onto the bottle and we weaned her onto nutriprem formula and i never looked back, she was home within 3 days of that decision.

Good luck to you xx

 

[PleaseBaby]

I remember asking this exact same question. Its so frustrating isnt it. Amelia started laerning to feed at 34 weeks and she came home at 36 weeks (27 weeker) so it was quite quick for us. She was tiny though 3lb when she started so although she got tired easily she didnt have to drink alot. She pulled her feeding tube out at 34+5 and they never putit back in .She would have been home a week earlier but they wouldnt release her untill she weighed 2kg

 

[Jen1802]

Thanks everyone! My head is just wrecked now though, one of my friends suggested trying her on a bottle of expressed breast milk just to see if she could manage it because at least I'd know one way or another whether she was just to tired to feed orally at all or it was just the breast she's having issues with. So she downed a 48ml bottle within 20 mins, absolutely no desats or anything. So now I'm stuck! I'm so torn, I really want to breast feed but at the same time I know she'll be home far quicker if I just express the milk and give it to her in a bottle. WHAT DO I DO?!!! She's getting another bottle tomorrow of expressed milk just to see if she takes it the same as the one today. I've no idea what decision to make for the best here...if I knew how easy it was to switch from the bottle and gradually introduce breast feeding I would opt for it but I don't know if that's possible. Am I being selfish by wanting her to breastfeed from me and not from a bottle because as far as I can see that is the main reason she is still in hospital. I know I could have her home within 2 weeks if I just put her onto the bottles....what would you all do??? Any advice?! So confused! xo

 

[PleaseBaby]

There are some ladies here who have successfully managed to switch from bottle to breast at home. Its totally up to you. Your her mummy and will do whts best for her. I didnt try to breastfeed Amelia but the babynext to her was and his mother stayed in hospital for 4/5 days t really establish it. It worked a treat and he was home at 35 weeks being fully breastfed. Is this an option for you? x

 

[Foogirl]

If you really want to breastfeed, stick at it. Don't let her coming home sooner be an issue because it really isn't. Do both if you need to. Try with a nipple shield and speak to a trained bfing counsellor. You shouldn't have to give up on your wish to breastfeed because your LO was early.

I got sooooooo worked up about it and I really shouldn't. We didn't have BFing properly established by the time Abby came home, but it was her primary source of feeding and at other times she got EBM. After a couple of months she would only take the breast and not the bottle.

 

[Jen1802]

I think I've pretty much decided. Today she drained a 50ml bottle in 10 mins at her 4pm feed. Then at her 7pm feed I tried to breastfeed her first then she got another 50ml bottle to top her up. A lovely and very honest nurse came over to me and told me that if I just went with bottle feeding her I could probably have her home by next week if not earlier and that I was expecting quite a lot from her as she is still technically 5/6 weeks early and pointed out that some full term babies have difficulties breastfeeding effectively. So I'm going to give her bottles to get her home and then try to establish breastfeeding with the help of the breastfeeding coordinator at the hospital. I feel so much better for just making a decision...also the nurse pointed out to me I was going to have to give her a couple of bottle feeds a day anyway irrelevant of what I was going to do as she is on medication which is given to her in her milk and will be going home on it. Thanks for the advice girls hopefully she'll be able to establish breastfeeding when she's getting closer to term and spending more time with me! xo

 

[Foogirl]

I think I've pretty much decided. Today she drained a 50ml bottle in 10 mins at her 4pm feed. Then at her 7pm feed I tried to breastfeed her first then she got another 50ml bottle to top her up. A lovely and very honest nurse came over to me and told me that if I just went with bottle feeding her I could probably have her home by next week if not earlier and that I was expecting quite a lot from her as she is still technically 5/6 weeks early and pointed out that some full term babies have difficulties breastfeeding effectively. So I'm going to give her bottles to get her home and then try to establish breastfeeding with the help of the breastfeeding coordinator at the hospital. I feel so much better for just making a decision...also the nurse pointed out to me I was going to have to give her a couple of bottle feeds a day anyway irrelevant of what I was going to do as she is on medication which is given to her in her milk and will be going home on it. Thanks for the advice girls hopefully she'll be able to establish breastfeeding when she's getting closer to term and spending more time with me! xo

I'm actually appalled that a nurse would say that to you. I'm afraid I don't agree with her advice nor with the fact she gave it. The staff at the NNICU Abby was at would be very angry. How you choose to feed should never be influenced by how quickly your LO gets home from a clinical point of view. Abby wasn't given a bottle for top up, she was only ever topped up by tube and once that was out it was one or the other. If a feed wasn't too successful, I was advised to try again 30 mins to 1hr later. Babies won't starve but they will take the path of least resistance!

Having said that, if you feel that is the best decision for you, I wish you all the luck in the world with it. Hopefully you will get more BFing support and be able to establish it before you know it. It is definitely useful to have a baby who will take breast or bottle, not just for meds - (which there are always ways to give without a bottle btw....) but to give you a break from time to time.

 

[whistle]

I got to the point where I wanted to switch to EBM to get my LO home. He was a 25 weeker and was told that if I bottle fed he'd be home sooner. I remember my consultant saying not to give him bottles to rush him home if BFing was really what I'd wanted to do, and that it would only be a little bit longer but it would be so much easier to get it established at the hospital and there was a risk of backtracking on all that hard work done expressing already by undermining the breastfeeding.

I stuck with it, and it probably took him about 3 weeks to learn to feed. Like some others have said, I kept offering it as often as possible and then one day it just clicked. It's good that your LO can take a bottle, that's useful, but I found my LO didn't really forget how to use the bottle, so I could concentrate on breastfeeding once he had that down. I spent a week and a bit in a room in the hospital so I could breastfeed him 24 hours, and to be honest, that's when the feeding really flew. I found the best tips I got were to wake him up with a nappy change and getting him into just a vest, and keeping him alert by tickling his cheeks or feet.

Keep at it if it's what you want to do, and of course, bottle feed if that's what you want too, but whatever decision you make will be right for you and your LO.

 

[Jen1802]

Well I'm still doing both, she's getting the breast before every feed when I'm there. Unfortunately I've had to be realistic about the situation, I've a 13 month old toddler at home and I can't stay over at the hospital or stay for as long as I would like (usually only two feeds per day) and as long as it would take to successfully establish exclusive breastfeeding whilst she's in the hospital. She could be home within the next week and I can dedicate the time to fully establishing breastfeeding with her then. So excited she might be home soon! xo

 

[Foogirl]

Well I'm still doing both, she's getting the breast before every feed when I'm there. Unfortunately I've had to be realistic about the situation, I've a 13 month old toddler at home and I can't stay over at the hospital or stay for as long as I would like (usually only two feeds per day) and as long as it would take to successfully establish exclusive breastfeeding whilst she's in the hospital. She could be home within the next week and I can dedicate the time to fully establishing breastfeeding with her then. So excited she might be home soon! xo

It is always hard to juggle family and NNICU. Hopefully it will work out well for you once you are home. I only did a couple of feeds a day with Abby as there was no option for parents to room in at our hospital and travelling there and back for each feed would have been impossible. I do agree though, it is all about practice. Just make sure you get the right support at home, contact your HV to arrange a breastfeeding specialist and look for breastfeeding groups in your area too.

 

[Jen1802]

Have already done that. There is one a few miles from where I live but then I'm not sure if I can attend the meetings with Juno as the nurse today was telling me because its RSV season I shouldn't be bringing her out of the house except for going to and from hospital appointments. The doctor also said she hadn't decided whether she was definitely going to give her the vaccine for it so I'm going to have to contact the co ordinator of the group and see if a home visit might be possible. xo

 

[25weeker]

Hope you get your lo home soon and hope you manage to establish bf at home.

I must admit I am shocked the nurse said that to you. Noone ever suggested to me to go with bottles to get her home sooner. I used to give my lo her meds with a syringe so never needed to use a bottle.

Good luck xx