bottle feeds

AlwaysSunny925

A poll of sorts:

1.  What GA was your baby when they started bottle feeds in the NICU?

2.  How long was it before your baby was taking all feeds by bottle/breast?

TIA!

jacque_z

1. C started bottle feeds at 34 weeks

2.  C wasn't eating all feeds by mouth until 41 weeks.

Feedings were our biggest NICU hurdle. 

haziedaze

32weeks breast (started not supplementing at 33w), 33w6d bottle, went home 35w (was better at breast than bottle).

bhilyer

jnatkaniec:

A poll of sorts:

1.  What GA was your baby when they started bottle feeds in the NICU?

JS started bottle feeding around 32 weeks GA.  Once he figured it out he was up to full feeds within 10 days or so.  He's issue was bradies after being taken off his caffeine.

H started bottle feeds after their due date.  He was so dependent on oxygen and had such a high RR they wouldn't let him try for a long time.   

2.  How long was it before your baby was taking all feeds by bottle/breast?

JS - caught on very quickly.

H - still doesn't take all that is needed by bottle. 

kck329

C was about 34 weeks when we started introducing the bottle. We did nonutrative "practice" breastfeeding about a week before that. It took awhile for her to get coordinated and the longer for her to stop having bradies. She went home at 38 weeks and had just mastered all PO feeds a couple days before discharge. She did better with breastfeeding because the bottle was too fast for her, even the slow nipples made her choke.

COmommy

1.  What GA was your baby when they started bottle feeds in the NICU?

Emmeline was 33 weeks 

2.  How long was it before your baby was taking all feeds by bottle/breast?

34 weeks 

neko621

1. We started breastfeeding at 33 weeks, bottle feeding at 34 weeks.

2. I was just looking at my NICU journal.  They took their first "whole bottle" (of 35ml) at 35 1/2 weeks.  They weren't able to take everything until the week they came home at 37 weeks.  It all seemed to come together very quickly at the end!

jenmikw

jnatkaniec:

A poll of sorts:

1.  What GA was your baby when they started bottle feeds in the NICU?

We started breastfeeding at 35w2d (a week after he was born). We started the bottle at 37w6d.  The most he ever took from the breast was 10ml.  While they were working on his other issues eating took a bit of a back seat, and once it was realized that he wasn't "catching on," we had intense 12 hour day with our primary and the OT and at that time it was determined that he might have dysphasia (since then this has been ruled out).  From there we moved onto thickened bottles.

2.  How long was it before your baby was taking all feeds by bottle/breast?

40w3d.

TIA!

lemen99

1. 34w

2. 43w GA (3 weeks after due date)

adrielegorburu

we started bottles somewhere around 35 weeks, she didnt start taking all her feeds by bottle until 37 weeks (two weeks before we went home)

Mrs. Alice

1. Miles - the end of 34 weeks, Owen - 35 weeks

2. Miles - about 2 weeks?  Owen - about 3 weeks, just a few days before they came home

Owen was much slower going and kept having apneas/desats/bradys while feeding and then around 37-38 weeks it just clicked for him.  I've been able to successfully ebf since they came home with the help of a nipple shield at first.