Feeding questions....

rachel218

Did your preemie choke a lot and turn blue while feeding?  Is this a normal preemie thing?  It scares me to death.  My son just came home on Saturday and he does this at once least every feed and then quickly recovers after me pounding on his back holding him upright.  My heart stops every time he does.  When will this get easier?  I use preemie nipples on his bottles and he doesn't choke at breast.  I also feel like I am forcing him to eat because I think he would be content sleeping all the time.  Did you also have this problem?

At1stsight

DS would still choke a lot on a bottle. Honestly, I don't think he 'really' mastered the whole suck/swallow/breathe thing until like 4 months old. He took his bottle in a very particular way. (He was mostly fine bfing.)

He never turned blue though. That would scare me too. Have you talked to your pedi about it?

lpstjohn

My daughter did this alot when I first brought her home.  Now she only does it every now and then.  She never really turned blue but her lips would kind of get a bluish tint.  I just talk to her and sit her up while rubbing her back.  Mine is complete bottle feeding though.  She never would latch on and I quit producing milk after the 4th week. 

witt0198

Yeah, feeding can be a really tough thing for preemies to get down really good. If he does better at the breast, I guess I'd lean towards putting him there more, as long as he has the stamina for it.

Evan slept a ton when he first came home, but once he hit his due date....he was a typical newborn.

You could also try feeding him lying on his side instead of on his back. It can be easier for some kids to handle the flow of milk on their sides.

GL and hang in there.

monstergurl

I second the side lying possition while bottle feeding. This is how we had to feed Will when he was in the NICU. Only last week is when I started to feed him cradled in my arms. It lets the milk/formula pool in the cheek and they swallow when they can.

sleepyocean

DS choked on his bottles, but we were told to let him suck for a few seconds and then pull the bottle out to give him a break, and then give it back and then take it back so he had time to swallow and catch his breath.  Eventually we did this less and less until he could take a bottle normally.  I would call your pedi though if your child is turning blue!