Twins just starting on bottles in NICU...questions for NICU moms

LRamz85

Hello,  I had my twins on Jan 8th at 29 weeks 3 days due to pPROM.  It has been really overwhelming being a NICU mom.  But they make me so proud each day because they have done so well!

My twins were just started on bottles last week when they reached 33 weeks gestation.  They are still each trying 1 each day and they haven't been able to advance.  I feel like this is going to be the milestone that keeps us from going home and going home seems like it is still so far away

How long did it take your babies to advance to be able to take all 8 bottles a day?  Also I feel like I'm going to be so nervous when I take them home because I won't have the monitors.  They still have a brady every couple of days and it really worries me that this will happen while we are home and I won't be able to tell!  The nurses reassure me that they won't be having them anymore when they go home but it still makes me so nervous!

frogchic295

I think from the time my guys started oral feeds until discharge was probably 3 weeks of our 7 week stay.  in the beginning it felt like it was dragging but near the end if flew...I would say of those 3 weeks 1.5 were 1 bottle a day and the other 1.5 was building to all oral feeds. we did ad-lib with both boys where they could eat as much as they wanted as often as they wanted not to exceed 3 hours time.  Once on Ad-lib as long as they gained weight 3 days in a row they were good for discharge.  As far as monitors and being nervous my big guy did his 7 day count down and came home with no problems.  my little guy started to Brady during oral feeds and that kept him in for an extra week.  He could have bradied at home while eating and i knew that and was ready for it but it never happened! you will do great and you will LOVE having them home and all to yourself!

Mrs. Alice

I had my twins at 28w4d and we didn't even start bottle or breastfeeding until 34 and 35 weeks.  One of my guys caught on pretty quick and it took him about 3 weeks to be on full nipple feeds.  My smaller twin took a little longer but when he was about 37.5 weeks gestational age he all of sudden just "got it" and was able to be discharged with his brother.  We had plenty of issues with brady's and desats, mostly related to feedings.  Since that was the only thing keeping them, they discharged with home apnea monitors.  They really out grew the problem around their orignial EDD.

Your babies are still really young and haven't quite developed the suck, swallow breath coordination yet.  Actually a lot of NICUs don't even start oral feedings until 34 weeks. The last few weeks were really hard for me too.  Try to enjoy those little triumphs and milestones.  There will likely be a few set backs along the way, but you just have to remember how far they have come and try your best to be patient (easier said than done sometimes!) 

katie4253

I think he started to get bottles about 2 weeks before coming home (so around 35 weeks).  It took 2 weeks to go from no bottles to all bottles. 

Also, if your LO is still having Bs they may decide to have him come home on a monitor.  Your LOs are still pretty young, so they may grow out of it before coming home. 

lemen99

My 26 weeker did not take full bottles until 43 weeks GA.  Feeding was the only thing keeping him in the NICU.  It was tough.  Don't give your hopes up like I did!

wannabeamom2012

Mine were born at 33 weeks. From starting bottles to going home it was 10 days for my boy, and just over 3 weeks for my last one. She ended up needing me to stay overnight to nurse because she nursed better than she took a bottle and I was more patient with her (nurses got tired of trying and would just gavage them sometimes at night). It really does happen overnight!

Dustilou

My twins were born at 36 weeks and they both started bottle feedings 2 or 3 days into their NICU stay. My smaller twin actually excelled at it and was released 1 week and 3 weeks after birth. Now my larger twin is still in the NICU and just tonight had her feeding tube taken out. We just celebrated our 2 week birthday this afternoon. But she still has not gotten her ticket home.

I would totally celebrate this as a milestone for your little ones! I celebrate the smallest things, it makes leaving with one still in the care of great nurses a little easier. Take care of yourself and get rest when you can, but great things happen very quickly! It's a great feeling when you finally get a "wireless" baby, and it scary too but absolutely worth it! Good Luck and hoping your LO's have awesome gains soon and get to come home!!

AlwaysSunny925

One of my little guys is still in NICU finishing up working in his feeds, but Ryan is home with us.  They started bottle feeds around 37ish weeks.  Unfortunately, he didn't quite get it and we halted feeds for about 3 weeks waiting for a transfer to a feeding hospital.  Thankfully, they tried again and it just clicked for him.  Once that happened, it was about 2 weeks before he took all 8 bottles. 

haziedaze

My little guy was also a 29 weeker. He was much better at the breast than the bottle so that made things a little different. He started really getting milk from the breast (rather than just being "recreational") at around 32.5 weeks, he started bottles at 34 weeks and we brought him home at 36 weeks. He still wasn't taking a full feed every time by bottle when I wasn't there, but they decided to let him do what he wanted and pulled the NG tube.

With this "ad lib" plan, I nursed for 5 feeds and they offered a bottle for 3 and he managed to gain weight so he came home. Not sure if that helps... good luck. Sometimes I think this last step feels like the longest because it's so close you can taste it...

Hang in there!

McGibbon51311

I don't have any information about the bottles because the boys advanced rather quickly through the feedings but the last week they were in the NICU/SCR the reason why they were there was because of brady events. I asked the nurse how to know/identify if they were having one at home and she assured me that I don't need to learn to recognize one because they wouldn't be coming home with me if brady events were still an issue. It wasn't that reassuring at the time but now that the boys are home I know that it's true. I won't lie and say I don't spend time watching them breath, because I do, but you'll be much more confident about their situation once they are ready to come home. 

iristony

My son was a 29 weeker, 2 days!  He was not at 100% until around 6 weeks after starting to take bottle.  The day it clicked and he hit 100%, there was not turning back.  The next day feeding tube was out and voila! 

GeauxTigers82

Neither of my twins ever took all 8 bottles in one day. To this day, they really aren't that into eating. We were told as long as they "made up" bottles throughout the day, it was okay. Meaning, they had to meet a minimum daily intake, and if they didn't take all of one bottle, they had to make it up at some point, and take more at another feeding. They had to do this for awhile before they could be trusted to go home.

I was also worried about the brady episodes. I finally got over it, and was able to stop thinking about it, but we always find something else to worry about, right?