How long did it take for your baby to learn how to feed?
Im sure every baby is different but my DD is doing so well but she has to learn to feed before she can come home. She is soooo soooo sleepy all of the time and just doesn't stay awake or interested enough to barely feed before they decide to put it down her tube. She is currently on fenobarb (sp) for possible seizures and I know that makes her sleepy but it just doesn't seem normal, she probably sleeps about 22 hours a day (no joke).
My DD actually wasn't a preemie but she flatlined for 7 minutes after birth so she has been thru some pretty dramatic stuff since birth and all of her organs are still working pretty hard to catch up and get strong. But I must say she is doing great and this is where we stand is with her feeding. To me it just seems like it should be such an easy thing, probably because I love to eat 
But I know that is not the case for baby. Is there any advice you can give me or anything I can do to help her feed more and stay awake.
TIA
Re: How long did it take for your baby to learn how to feed?
I had feeding issues with Chase as well. That was actually the only reason he got stuck in the NICU. It took a few days but you just have to really work with them. Do whatever you can to try to get them awake, play with their feet... unwrap any swaddling, take their hat off... things like that. During a feeding the NICU nurses all had advice about feeding, what seemed to work was feeding him sitting up not cradled, tapping on the end of the bottle during a feed and gently pulling it in and out (Don't twist).
They would allow us 30 minutes to feed him and if we didn't get the minimum down him they would tube feed the rest. I was there at every single feeding, until they took out the NG tube. I knew the nurses were better at feeding than I was but I had the feeling that they wouldn't try as hard and just tube the food. He had to be off the tube for three days prior to release... After 6 days in the NICU, he just sort of got it and started eating what they wanted plus some and then three days later he was released. All in all he had 10 CC's tubed total. I think he only had to have 10cc's tubed because I worked so hard with him.
I really do think that after a while they just suddenly figure it out!
Chase Matthew born at 35 weeks on July 31st