"Getting" the bottle

eMiLee920

It's been 3 weeks since they started introducing the bottle. The back and forth is driving me up a wall! I'm not usually a patient person but I've been really good up til now. Probably because I was more focused on him getting better & stable rather than him coming home. We're so close - but he's still just tiring out before he can finish. 

I just got off the phone with the nurse to see how he did so far today and broke down in tears because he hasn't finished a full bottle in 2 days now. Any tips to get through this part of the journey? 

jennbent

I feel your pain. I think DS started bottle feeding 4 weeks ago now and we still have issues. We are starting our 12th week in the nicu today and I am more than done. Everyone always says the first two weeks and the last two weeks are the hardest and now that we're at the end, I can see why. I don't have a lot of great advice for you other than to tell you what everyone always tells me just take it day by day and one day it will just click. I'm just commiserating with you though so I'd love to hear everyone else's advice too. Hang tough!

thishappyhouse

Hang in there!  It is so hard!  We spent over 8 weeks working on bottle feeding (we had major problems with choking with big big heartrate drops). Even the nurses were beside themselves by the end.  Everyone told me that it would click.  It did... she went from taking 30% PO to 100% PO in about 5 days.  

I got through those days by doing things that I knew I wouldnt be able to do once we were done with our 4 month stay.  I took lots of photos of V with her nurses and care takers, My husband went out for a few nice meals at restaurants near the hospital,and I went for runs in the morning.