Suck Swallow Breathe Question

shopgirl07

Hi, I have a queston if anyone else has experienced this. I had my baby 6 weeks premature, and she is unable to coordinate the suck swallow breathe technique while feeding.  Currently, I am pacing her with the bottle, and she has no problem with the suck swallow part, its the breathing she cannot coordinate.  The NICU said it is just a matter time before she learns, but will it just happen overnight? Will she one day just start doing it and can do all three at the same time?  If anyone has experienced this, any feedback will be appreciated.

thanks.

mom2elijah

My son was born at 32 wks due to Pre-eclampsia and he has been in the NICU for 1 month today. He required no breathing assistance, has had no bradys at all, has had no health issues whatsoever. The only problem is that he too cannot coordinate the suck swallow breathe that is neccessary to feed. He has been fed through gavage until he turned 34 wks and he is now going to be 37 wks on Sunday. He is currently working with the occupational therapist and I am trying to breastfeed which he does better with pacing himself. To feed via bottle he does better when he is sidelying although he continues to have difficulties stopping to take a breath while sucking a bottle. It is getting quite frustrating because I too would like to know how long this is going to take. Right now they have him taking a bottle every 3rd feeding the others are via gavage (tube feeding). Please help!!!

hailie

Every baby is different. It took DS about 7 days before he could take all his feeds by mouth & it really did just click one day for him. We didn't do anything to "help" him, just kept offering bottles at everyother feed so as not to exhaust him by making him try to nipple feed all the time. Good luck & keep us posted!

shanrob

Our baby was born at 32 weeks and the NICU told us she won't even start to try to bottle or breast feed until 36 weeks. ?They said before that is too early and she won't be able to do it. ?That being said, they told us even when they attempt at 36 weeks, it can take a few weeks before they are able to coordinate everything enough to go home. ?It's so frustrating! ?I know she's only 33 weeks tomorrow, but I am so eager to have her try. ?I guess we have to be patient! Good luck, and hope he catches on soon!

SBMBride406

To answer your question on will it happen over night, for us, the answer was YES! Both that and DS's ability to drink 2 oz orally at a time (the requirement for him coming home) happened b/t one day and the next. I know its frustrating, but it will happen!

SBMBride406

shanrob:

Our baby was born at 32 weeks and the NICU told us she won't even start to try to bottle or breast feed until 36 weeks.  They said before that is too early and she won't be able to do it.  That being said, they told us even when they attempt at 36 weeks, it can take a few weeks before they are able to coordinate everything enough to go home.  It's so frustrating!  I know she's only 33 weeks tomorrow, but I am so eager to have her try.  I guess we have to be patient! Good luck, and hope he catches on soon!

I'm really surprised that they said that. Is it based on her size? DS was born at 32 weeks (and only 10 oz bigger than your baby) and within 10 days we attempted to bottle feed him at every feeding (it didn't go well, but we would do what we could and then give the rest through a feeding tube). We also took him home at 36 weeks, and he was taking all his feedings orally at that time. I wonder why they want to wait that long?  

kamcfarlane

eating was the only issue DS had (born at 32w6d). i swear, i tried everything with that kid to get him to eat, offered cars, ponies, everything! we were coming up on christmas and a NICU christmas didn't sound like too much fun. the day after christmas, at 36w, he just got it. all of a sudden we went from 3 or 4 oral feedings a day to all oral feedings! i didn't believe it would ever happen, but it did. and literally overnight. maybe that's what santa brought me.

as for starting at 36w, that surprises me as well. i have quite a few friends that had babies in the NICU and it seemed that DS was on the late side for figuring it out at 36w. he tried breastfeeding at 5 days old. it wasn't very successful, but we gave it a try. i'm not sure i would be ok with waiting until 36w, i might talk to someone about that. no sense keeping LO in the NICU longer than necessary. every baby is different and it seems ridiculous to have such a hard and fast rule about when to start.

FutureMrsDenman

My 28 weeker had a very hard time with this also.  we enlisted the help of an OT in the NICU and she worked with her every day.  For DD it really helped to use a 4 oz Dr. Brown's bottle with a nipple size chosen by the OT for her thickened feeds.  We used simply thick to thicken her feeds to nectar consistency.  We also kept her laying on her left side and at an incline while feeding and this worked wonders for her.  I don't know exactly which part of the suck-swallow-breathe of DD was having the most trouble with, if there was one part that was harder, or if she had trouble with coordinating all three.  But the OT figured out what worked fo her.  It still took time, but once she got it, she got it ... there was indeed the lightbuld moment all the NICU nurses said there would be.

Hang in there!

Oh, and I want to say our NICU didn't even start trying until 34 weeks for similar reasons as the PP.  They would try that early, but it was with the full expectation that they wouldn't really be ready.  It was "practice" they called it at that point.  I think they expected that many preemies would "get it" around 36 weeks, but they warned me that they always have some that take longer ...

SWMcFarland

My LO was born at 34 weeks, 4 days due to preeclampsia.  She had no other issues but she was a tough feeder in the beginning.  She was also under the bili lights because she was jaundiced.  That made the feedings much harder.  Also, I had trouble feeding her because the second she would get in my arms she would pass out and be fast asleep (NICU said it was because she missed me, how sweet!!).  It was brutal.  But the one day (about 5 days after she was born) it just clicked.

 Our NICU gives babies a paci becaus eit helps coordinate the suck-swallow-breathe thing.  Just something to consider...there is a purple soothie for really small preemies and then there is a green one for newborns.  That might be a good way to hep learn the coordination!

mrspaul07

DD was born at 32 weeks and had the same problem. ?She was probably 3 weeks old before she "got it" and it did just happen overnight. ?I thought the nurses were crazy when they told us it would happen that way but they were right and all of a sudden one day she took every feed by bottle.

?

jehprb

My 32wkr had the same problem - he'd suck, suck, and suck and then pause to gasp for air and catch his breath before going back to the sucking.  For us it really did happen overnight (we didn't believe the nurses when they told us that he would just do it one day) - he wasn't doing it one night when we left but when we went back in the morning he was totally doing it.

He was probably around 3 weeks actual when it "clicked" :-)

shanrob

SBMBride406:

shanrob:

Our baby was born at 32 weeks and the NICU told us she won't even start to try to bottle or breast feed until 36 weeks. ?They said before that is too early and she won't be able to do it. ?That being said, they told us even when they attempt at 36 weeks, it can take a few weeks before they are able to coordinate everything enough to go home. ?It's so frustrating! ?I know she's only 33 weeks tomorrow, but I am so eager to have her try. ?I guess we have to be patient! Good luck, and hope he catches on soon!

I'm really surprised that they said that. Is it based on her size? DS was born at 32 weeks (and only 10 oz bigger than your baby)?and within 10 days we attempted to bottle feed him at every feeding (it didn't go well, but we would do what we could and then give the rest through a feeding tube). We also took him home at 36 weeks, and he was taking all his feedings orally at that time. I wonder why they want to wait that long? ?

I'

I'm wondering that myself! ?Yes, she is small, especially now having lost a little weight over the last week (I think she's 2lbs 8oz at this point), but I am also surprised that they plan to gavage feed her for that long a time period. ?I plan ?to ask for a little more explanation today and see if there is another reason for the delay in trying. ?Give the girl a chance ?

shopgirl07

Thanks Everyone.  It has been almost 3 weeks now since she was born, so I hope she gets it soon.  There are just some days that I worry that she will never get it or by me pacing her, I am hindering her from ever learning.  I will cross my fingers that the light bulb will soon set off in her head and she will finally get it down.

 Thanks again.

 

 

Qs2004

YES it does kind of happen overnight.  My babies were born at 29w6d.  They have been in the NICU for 6 weeks and are coming home Sunday.  They have been bottle feeding for about 2 weeks now.  They started first feeding by bottle 2x's a day and slowly increasing it. 

I'm very surprised that they will not try it.  I would push the issue.  Even if you just try it while you are there.  They probably will get it.  When they are too tired, they just will sit there with their mouths wide open lol.

I would push the issue.  I had to do that with my little girl and she took on right away.  They kept telling me there's no way she can do it and she did and has been ever since.

HTH