Suck/Swallow Reflex

ourkybaby

At what gestational age did your LO seem to get down the suck/swallow/breathe reflex?

Mallory was born on 4/5 and she improves every day and will be 35 W on Sunday, but just curious when you really saw things really improve.

Today she took 16 cc of her 37 cc's at one of her 8 feedings....we probably need to start doing it more than once a day, we also practice at the breast, and she sucks, but I'm now on Reglan to produce more, so she gets my breast milk through her feeding tube that I pump for her.

mek10976

DS was born at 32 weeks and I think he finally figured it out around 35 weeks.  He came home at 36 weeks.

At1stsight

Honestly, I feel like DS didn't really master it until he was 2 mo old (2w adjusted), but he came home at 36w6d, having figured it out enough to take all his bottles the day before. It'll click suddenly, rather than showing steady progress. It's very frustrating but hang in there! Girls do better than boys in general so she'll likely figure it out before she's full term.

jlh123

It took my daughter 4 months to actually suck swallow breathe in that order.  She'd suck suck suck suck, then swallow, then finally breathe (even at home would sometimes forget).  She was discharged because that's just how it was for her and she'd still take her feedings just in her own way.  She was born at 31 1/2 weeks and discharged 7 1/2 weeks later.