Did you have Feeding/ Risidual problems in NICU?

crystaleyes39

I feel so discouraged. Brynn one of our twin girls has been really behind on her sister with her feedings. She was born at 32 weeks 5 days and has not been eating well. She barely does any by bottle and the rest has to be tube fed (which is already only 10 ML's) then usually either half or more is left in her tummy as residual.  She's on a PICC line where she's getting most of her nutrients, but it's just so heart breaking to watch her struggle to eat while her sister is doing so well with her feedings. 

Any of you experiance this with your preemie? Any words of encouragement? I could really use a boost...having a down moment.

njdcgirl

I don't have twins, and I imagine that it is impossible not to compare, but preemies are soo different that I'll just say try! Also, your girls are still very young - usually the whole suck/swallow/breathe thing doesn't kick in until around 34 weeks, so having issues with eating at this point wouldn't be unusual at all. Hang in there - I'm sure they will both have it down. Feeding can be very frustrating and is usually the last big hurdles for many babies to tackle. ((hugs))

kelkel09

I am sorry you are feeling down. I know how you feel. Not necessarily with feedings, but just overall. My DD was always way ahead of DS in terms of her progess. It is definitely hard with twins because you are always comparing. Just remember that every baby is different. I am sure Brynn will come around. Hang in there!!

haziedaze

I'm sure with twins it's inevitable to compare- that must be hard! Henry had issues with residuals after they added fortifier to my breast milk- they resolved after 2 days. He also seemed to get more residual when he needed to poop so he was on suppositories every 12 hrs for awhile and that helped. It just takes time for some babies to get their guts going. It's one of the ways they show their immaturity. Hang in there!!

crystaleyes39

Thank you guys! We had a much better day today. Last night we did some bicycle exercises and tummy rubs with Brynn which ended up getting her to do a big poop for us and she is now eating more today!   We know there are going to be some good days and some not so good days, but it's still so hard to see your little one struggling at something as i'm sure you all know. 

Thanks for all the advice! Happy New year!

lemen99

My preemie didn't catch on until after his due date, hang in there, a lot of babies need time.  Hugs!

GatorNurse

My daughter was born at 28 w 3 d, but when we were at the same point as you (about a week in, at about 10 ml per feed), she will still having some residuals at pretty much each feed. Then, it was like one day, her gut caught on and now she usually only has 1 or 2 ml (which, 1 ml is from the tube usually, ya know?) Hopefully Brynn will keep pooping (it really does help! lol) and keep eating like a champ!