Oral Feeds.

[Srrme]

At what gestational age did your Preemie start taking a bottle or breastfeeding? How did it go? Elias is approaching 34 weeks, and there's been a bit of talk about trying.

 

[AP]

Roundabout 36 weeks for us x

 

[ButtonJessie]

Well they say that their suckling reflex doesn't kick in until 36 weeks, which is when we tried with Lola but that was incidental as she was born at 35 weeks so it was only a week later.

There was a 31 weeker in SCBU with us who was happily suckling away on her Mama though. I think it totally depends on the baby. The littlest ones tend to burn off more calories than they consume trying to feed orally, so at our SCBU they let them oral feed for a while then topped them up with a tube feed.

If you want to try Elias on a feed and see how he does it can't do any harm. The sooner the better really I say since they tend to leave sorting out oral feeding to the last minute in neonatal units and then establishing feeding can take quite a while and is the only thing stopping you from going home which can be quite frustrating!! Also if you have trouble, try the Medela mipple shields, they have been a lifesaver for us.

xxx

 

[25weeker]

From around 32 weeks they got me to put her to my breast but she wasn't really sucking. It was 36/37 weeks before she mastered that.

 

[Agiboma]

we started "lick and sniff" as they call it @ 34 weeks,

 

[Srrme]

we started "lick and sniff" as they call it @ 34 weeks,

What is that?

 

[25weeker]

Lick & sniff is just putting the baby to the breast and letting them lick it and play about on it as they don't have a sucking reflex

 

[Srrme]

Lick & sniff is just putting the baby to the breast and letting them lick it and play about on it as they don't have a sucking reflex

Oh, well I might be able to do that. Elias sucks on a pacifier quite vigorously.

 

[Srrme]

When we arrived at the hospital we were told Elias had taken his first bottle, and drank 19 ml! Do they normally start babies on bottles first? And if so, how hard is it to wean them off and into breastfeeding?

 

[Agiboma]

19ml is great super fantastic, premie babies are very open/adaptable to bottle and breast they can SWITCH very easily so you wont have to wean

 

[ButtonJessie]

19ml! Wowzer, what a trooper!

Make it clear to the nurses that you want to breast feed. Is it your expressed milk that they have given him?

At my hospital they never gave Lola a bottle. I guess it depends on the staff.

You wont need to wean him, just start giving him the option of breast as soon as you can. Preemies find bottles much much easier, thats why they get on so well with the Medela nipple shields because it basically turns your boob into a bottle!

xxx