When did your babies "get" bottle feeding

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

E is going to be 35 weeks tomorrow. A few days ago he finished 3 bottles and did a half feeding from me. Now he's barely finishing a bottle and usually requires the rest in his ng. I know there are good and bad days and I guess that day may be a fluke but I'm wondering when it will click or what your experiences were. Thanks!

biesecke · June 2012

lurker here.....My son was 34 weeks and spent 28 days in the NICU. When his bottle feedings started he would take almost the whole thing with us, but sometimes the nurses wouldn't push the bottle if he looked "sleepy" and just compressed it. So it took us a while, but once he got going, he did really well for a few days, and the night before we were hoping to go home he suddenly stopped. He also failed his car seat test, but 2 days after being inconsistent he started right back up again and took all of his feedings and left that week. Everyone always said to me that it just clicks for them, and with him it did, just took him a while. Hope it goes well for you, just try to be patient (I know it's hard)

meganab3 · June 2012

It's weird how it clicks for the babies, it seems like it's always off and on and then they just start doing it. My daughter would breastfeed/take a few bottles a day. Then she did five in a row and pulled her own tube out and never bad to have it replaced. She was home five days later.

Edit: She was 36 weeks, came home at exactly 37.

crystaleyes39 · June 2012

Every baby is different. My one daughter caught on to bottle feedings by 35 weeks and was off the NG tube then. My other daughter was having all sorts of problems w/ risidual and some days she would take a lot by bottle and other feedings she would take barely any at all and have to be fed the rest NG. She Finally caught on where they could pull the NG tube by the time she was 37 weeks. (both were born at 32 weeks 5 days.

crystaleyes39 · June 2012

working with a speech therapits really helped her catch on quicker! see if your NICU offers that!

becketts · June 2012

Both of my girls started to figure out bottle feeding right around 36-37 weeks. DD1 came home at 37w5d and DD2 came home at 37w0d. Hang in there! The bottle feeding roller coaster can be so frustrating, but your LO is getting closer to home!

ChristieNRN · June 2012

My son was born at 30 weeks...had his first trial with a bottle at 33 weeks....by 34 weeks, he mastered it and he came home at 35 weeks gestation drinking 45ml of breast milk from a bottle.

vsalt31 · June 2012

My DS was slow to learn. I think he got it right around 37 wks. As soon as it clicked, we were home within a day or 2.

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

Thanks everyone! E seems really excited to eat and gets the ssb part but then wears out. I guess we need to just build up his stamina ... Hopefully he gets it soon! But if not we'll be there whenever it is!

jacque_z · June 2012

BostonKisses2:
It's a hard thing to predict, and is definitely one of those things where it'll click one day and they'll take off. I totally feel you though: we struggled for weeks to get Judith to take her bottles, and it was frustrating as hell. She didn't "get" it until she was past the 36w mark, but we also had an extraneous circumstance thrown in around that time that is not common (she acquired a GBS/sepsis infection w/possible meningitis, and the bacteria was playing a factor into things). Even without the infection in play, it would've taken her until about 36w for things to click.
Anyway, our nurses said many babies don't start to really get it until somewhere around the 35/36w mark, but it always varies with the individual baby. This is one thing you're truly going to have to hang in there for. Hopefully your little guy will pick up on it soon!

This! Feeding can be super frustrating!! My D didn't catch on until 42 weeks.

Hang in there!

DrRx · June 2012

PhillyGal34:
Thanks everyone! E seems really excited to eat and gets the ssb part but then wears out. I guess we need to just build up his stamina ... Hopefully he gets it soon! But if not we'll be there whenever it is!

Have you tried a higher flow nipple and/or a different nipple from another manufacturer? If he is getting the ssb he may do better and not tire as much if he doesn't have to work as hard to suck.

I would say that Adalyn "got" it around 37 weeks or so. GL!

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

DrRx:
PhillyGal34:
Thanks everyone! E seems really excited to eat and gets the ssb part but then wears out. I guess we need to just build up his stamina ... Hopefully he gets it soon! But if not we'll be there whenever it is!
Have you tried a higher flow nipple and/or a different nipple from another manufacturer? If he is getting the ssb he may do better and not tire as much if he doesn't have to work as hard to suck.
I would say that Adalyn "got" it around 37 weeks or so. GL!

He was using a slow flow but they moved him to a regular flow but he's also breastfeeding and we have to use a nipple shield (flat nipples) so I don't think we can do anything about those feedings. I know bf takes more work than bottle feeding.

Mrs. Alice · June 2012

Owen didn't even begin bottle and BFing until he was 35 weeks and then it took him until about 37.5 weeks to get it. Miles learned a little quicker and was probably ready by the end of 36 weeks but had some other issues keeping him from coming home.

appylovee · June 2012

My son was born at 34 weeks & 3lbs. He was in the nicu for 7 weeks. he was bottle fed the entire time, and never had an ng tube. they have bad days and good days. with my son we had to start with 5ccs, then 10ccs, then 15ccs and then upped it 2 to 3 ccs every few days til he hit 2ozs. he is still taking 2 ozs. dont be stressed because it will affect your feeding.

JuliaJAG · July 2012

For us, he REALLY got it around 37 weeks. That's also when his stamina increased to the point that he could easily finish his bottles, consistently, all 8 times/day. (I think it could've been a week or two sooner if it hadn't been for certain nurses too eager to tube him, but that's another story!)

haziedaze · July 2012

PhillyGal34:
He was using a slow flow but they moved him to a regular flow but he's also breastfeeding and we have to use a nipple shield (flat nipples) so I don't think we can do anything about those feedings. I know bf takes more work than bottle feeding.

H never really loved bottles. He BF much better (with a nipple shield). We finally decided to pull the tube and let him go ad lib and he did fine. I was there to BF for 5 feeds so he only got 3 from the bottle- that's how we got him home pretty early (at 35w exactly).

Since he did kinda back slide the 2 things I would ask your team about are 1) Was the slow flow actually better (our NICU was weirdly resistant to it; we went back to slow flow when he got home and he did better. We still use slow flow to make going between the breast and bottle easier). 2) Could the NG be bothering him? Sometime around term they actually develop a gag and the NG gets more annoying, some babies do better once it's pulled.

Just some thoughts. Often it's just that they need more time... which is SO hard for a momma who is ready to bust out of the NICU!

PhillyGal34 · July 2012

So... it turns out he got it... yesterday he started bottle/breast feeding exclusively and last night they took out his NG tube. Today he did awesome and actually ate far more than they had been giving him (he was getting 50 ml and at one feed he ate 70 ml and another 60 ml!) he also breastfed really well and they are really happy with his progress. the nurse told us that he will likely be going home with us in the next few days! we have to take his car seat in for the test tomorrow and he is going to start getting all his other testing. we also need to schedule our overnight stay!!! I guess when the light bulb goes off it really does just go off... this is crazy!

JuliaJAG · July 2012

PhillyGal34:
So... it turns out he got it... yesterday he started bottle/breast feeding exclusively and last night they took out his NG tube. Today he did awesome and actually ate far more than they had been giving him (he was getting 50 ml and at one feed he ate 70 ml and another 60 ml!) he also breastfed really well and they are really happy with his progress. the nurse told us that he will likely be going home with us in the next few days! we have to take his car seat in for the test tomorrow and he is going to start getting all his other testing. we also need to schedule our overnight stay!!! I guess when the light bulb goes off it really does just go off... this is crazy!

Oh, that is fantastic news all around!! and yup, I love when the light bulb goes off!

snoangel79 · July 2012

Give it another week or two. My LO's caught on pretty quickly. They were feeding fine at 37 and 1/2 weeks when they went home...

haziedaze · July 2012

PhillyGal34:
So... it turns out he got it... yesterday he started bottle/breast feeding exclusively and last night they took out his NG tube. Today he did awesome and actually ate far more than they had been giving him (he was getting 50 ml and at one feed he ate 70 ml and another 60 ml!) he also breastfed really well and they are really happy with his progress. the nurse told us that he will likely be going home with us in the next few days! we have to take his car seat in for the test tomorrow and he is going to start getting all his other testing. we also need to schedule our overnight stay!!! I guess when the light bulb goes off it really does just go off... this is crazy!

YAY!!!!!!!!

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