? on multiples bd got me thinking

aprilsarahjune

My girls were born at 33w1d.  Andi didn't take any milk for the first several days -- she was getting IV fluids only.  Addi was taking milk sooner but was gavaged only for a while.  Lots of posters on a multiples thread were suggesting putting 32 weekers just born to breast.  Am I odd in that this wasn't an option for my girls?

MrsLee22

My babies were born at only 24 weeks so I might be different, but they wouldn't even let us TRY any nipple (breast or bottle) until the babies were close to 34w... I think our firt try was 33w5d. The suck/swallow/breathe coordination just isn't there until then.

schenkertobe

At that young of an age, it is almost always non-nutritive sucking at the breast. I was allowed to attempt BF as early as 33 weeks, but that was really just to get him acquainted with the boob and practice a little. But I was advised to pump beforehand so I didn't drown him in milk.

SurpriseMama

We were encouraged to do non-nutritive around 32 weeks. I had to pump first, and we didn't expect him to do anything more than just sort of hang out and maybe lick a little bit

katie4253

31 weeks here.  It wasn't even an option until this week.  I didn't think a 32 weeker had the ability to suck swallow breathe.  I thought it was a 33-36 week skill.  But, I'm not 100% sure. 

JosiePosy

I couldn't even try until they were about 34 weeks. I pretty much just pumped until they were 10 weeks old. We never got the hang of breastfeeding and my supply took a huge nosedive and I wasn't able to recover. I had enough of a stash to get them through a little longer and then we were completely on Neosure after that.

ShannonSky

schenkertobe:

At that young of an age, it is almost always non-nutritive sucking at the breast. I was allowed to attempt BF as early as 33 weeks, but that was really just to get him acquainted with the boob and practice a little. But I was advised to pump beforehand so I didn't drown him in milk.

Any skin-to-skin time and ESPECIALLY boob time will help your supply. We got to start with DD around 35 weeks (she was born at 34 weeks). It really helped my milk come in stronger. Try to have a lactation consultant on hand the first time you attempt, they are great at working with little babies and new mamas. So yeah, it's not too early, but it doesn't strike me as odd that they haven't offered yet, either. You could always bring it up if it's something you want to do.

Baby Ts Mommy

Our neonatologists said it is dangerous and can hinder feeding in the future even to try to early. My son was 31 weeks and they didn't let us try until 34 weeks

WaitingforGrace

One of my girls started bottle feeding at 33w twice a day, basically the day after her cpap was stopped. They worked her up a couple of cc's a day. At about 34w she was feeding every other bottle feed. Once she could take her whole feed every other, they let her try every feed. She came home at 35w5d. Her sister wasn't bottle fed until 34w and it was a 3 week process to get her all her feeds by bottle since she had intestional surgery and was NPO for 8 days and reflux issues.

The nurses and neo's said anytime bottle was written it was also okay to breastfeed. It was actually written as "nipple 2x day" so which ever I prefered was done and then she got the rest by gavage. I was more concerned with getting them home than breastfeeding though so we always just did bottles.