nippling?

Kd&J

Keira has surpassed her due date (02-16-09) and is still having problems nippling. It seems like shes just too tired to wake up. She eats about every other feeding and then the nurses just gavage the others. Im frustrated because its been 12 looooong weeks in the NICU and they wont even talk to me about going home until shes nippling all her feeds. Did anyone elses baby have problems? How long before they "get it"?!

purplepuggles

i'm sorry you are going through this! all i can say is that when jack got it, it was literally overnight. one day he was having half his feeds by gavage, and the next he took all by bottle and never looked back. *HUGS* it WILL happen!

Kd&J

I just cried when I read this! Hormones?! Thats what the nurses/doctors keep saying. "One day she'll just get it! Be patient." You know how it is being told to wait. Not having any clue how long it could be.

Mrs. Destructo

Is she still on oxygen? If so you may want to ask about turning up her O2 (especially during feeds) to help her strength.

My Leo took FOREVER to nipple. He knew how to do it, but it was so much work that he would be exhausted and unable to nipple again for the next few feeds. This lasted for a good 3 weeks, then our NP tried increasing his O2 flow for a few days and all of the sudden he had the strength to nipple everything. His sats were fine before the O2 was increased, but the extra flow just made him a bit stronger.

Hang in there, sweetie. You're in the home stretch. I swear the last week or 2 in the NICU is the hardest.  {{{huge, huge hugs}}}

ijack

Is she finishing the feedings that she does nipple? E was the same way and then one day one of the docs decided to d/c her tube so she had to nipple and she did fine, she went home like 5 days later. Some of the nurses hadn't been trying if she looked sleepy and so they were forced to. Sometimes she wouldn't even open her eyes to eat, but she ate
GL! I know how frustrating it can be!

Kd&J

She does have some obstacles... she is still on oxygen (we turn her flow up 15 minutes prior to being fed), and she has reflux. She gets mylanta and baby prevacid and is also on Enfamil AR which has rice added to stay in her tummy. I have nothing against the nurses in the NICU, most of them are wonderful but I do think it is to some degree convenience and laziness. She has this nifty feeding tube so if they have 3 other babies to take care of and she looks sleepy they just stick it down her tube without even trying. Most babies eat in a half in/half out state of sleep right? ijack, was it the doctors decision to DC her feeding tube or did you ask them to?

ijack

He did it on his own. I was starting to wonder and it wasn't one of her regular docs, he only rotates through every month or so (he's the head of the NICU at another hospital) and thought it was crap that she was still there. I was SO glad he made the decision because the rest of the doctors just liked to play the waiting game. She was never going to get out of there if they made her wake up and look alert for each of her feeds. I would ask them if they can have the nurses not use the tube for 24 hours and see what happens (E didn't have a permanent tube, they placed it for each feed so it was easier to discontinue I think). It can't hurt to ask!

gymrat

My daughter had trouble with feedings. It was so unbelievably frustrating. I would cry every night because people would tell me that she would finally "get it." We tried everything: the habermin (sp?) special needs nipple, d/c her tube, breastfeeding, etc. We ended up taking her home with the feeding tube and gavaging her feedings at home. We took her home the week of her duedate. She had spent 89 days in the NICU and over a month of that was just working on feedings. She had bad reflux too.

She would also tire herself out. She knew how to suck, swallow and breathe but she just couldn't finish all her feeds.  Two weeks after having her home with the tube we pulled it ourselves. It was causing her more trouble then good because it irritated her reflux a lot. Since then she's been on 27-30kcal bottles (formula added to my BM) and it took her awhile (a couple months) to be able to use a regular bottle and nipple. We were using the habermin nipple for a long time.

She never has been interested in eating. She never takes more than 20 oz a day and she's not really interested in solids yet either. BUT, despite all of this, she's still gaining weight and thriving.

Most babies do get it (I know everyone wouldn't say that if it wasn't true) but I just wanted to tell you my story because it was a struggle with my child and it was a struggle to convince the doctors to let us take her home with the feeding tube.

The NICU has all these policies on releasing a child. They didn't want her to go home on high calorie formula either. But what did the GI doctor do 3wks after she was discharged? He told us to give her higher calorie formula.

Definitely have them try and pull the tube. It's worked for a lot of babies. After that, go with your gut and what you feel comfortable doing at home. Let me know if you have any questions. 

sabloja

will they let you do the feedings? My DS was having the same problems and the nurses would do the tube out of convience but when I was there to feed him they let me and him take his time to a certain extent they didnt want it to take longer than 30 minutes. It seemed to help and when the neo discharged us he said I am only letting you go because the nurses said you can feed him better than any of us can! It was nice to hear that. Vibes that she will pick up the eating!!!