Learning to bottle feed.

JennZK · October 2012

My little man was born at 26 weeks on 8/23/12. It has been a long journey in the NICU, but I'm finally starting to feel like we really are going to get to go home some day. We got to start trying to bottle feed two weeks ago since his breathing stats were at the right level. He is allowed one bottle every 12 hours until he can show he's ready for more. He gets 50cc every feeding and today he took 28cc from a bottle, which is the most he has ever taken. Really once he learns to eat we will be going home. I'm just wondering how long it took for everyone else to get the bottle thing down. I'm not concerned that he is taking too long I'm just getting anxious because his doctors/nurses are talking about going home. Any input is appreciated!

thishappyhouse · October 2012

BostonKisses2:
The last stretch to get feeding down can be one of the longest feeling stretches of the experience - you know how close you are, and you're anxious to spring your LO and have them "get" everything so you can go home!
That being said, feeding is truly something that needs to click for your LO, and when that happens varies greatly and is solely dependent on the baby. General guideline our neos and nurses gave us was that feeding can click anywhere around 35-36w GA. Some babies get it a little sooner, some take longer. Hang in there!

Ditto all of this... however the earlier they are the later that bottle feeding seems to click. My daughter was born at 25 weeks. They attempted her first bottle at 35.5 weeks and then it was 7 weeks of pure frustration until she finally came home at 42.5 weeks. She was an extreme case because she would have bad A&B episodes after choking on the milk but all of the mechanisms were fine. Most of our micro preemie friends mastered their bottles and went home between 38-40 weeks.

Good luck! It is a true test in patience.

Nita14701 · October 2012

No advice but wanted to add that we're going through the same thing right now. I'm trying to be patient but I would love it if LO was home in time for Thankgiving. Her due date was 11/30 so we'll see.

missgooseyface · October 2012

Ditto what the pp have said...one nurse in the NICU said that she noticed many babies "got it" when they weigh ~2000 grams. This was true for our 29 weeker. The whole learning to eat thing felt like the longest part of our journey but when your LO gets it and you can go home...things happen really fast from there! Hang in there!

ashk7 · October 2012

Congrats on starting the bottle feeds! Everything that the other moms posted is what I would of said. It was truly the most frustrating time for me while dd was in the NICU. And just like pp said every baby is different and it really does just have to click. There is no magic way to make them learn faster or complete feeds. My daughter was born at 31 weeks and we started NNF about two weeks later and then full feeds at 34-35 weeks gestational. We had that dreaded 4 letter word thrown at us just days after she was doing well with bottles and then she just stopped, meaning was too tired to finish. It was another long and trying 3 weeks before she came home. She came home at 39 weeks exactally. Good luck and I am sending positive vibes that your little one starts chugging those bottles!!

jennbent · October 2012

Bottle feeding was the most tedious, most frustrating part of our NICU stay. In fact, it's what kept us there two weeks longer than when we were initially told we were going home.

My DS was born at 28 weeks, took his first bottle like a champ at 34 weeks but didn't get it all coordinated enough to go home until almost 41 weeks. It was a LOOONG 7 weeks. Hang in there! It WILL end eventually!

Linds1027 · October 2012

My dd was not born as early as your baby, but she had bottle issues in the nicu. I had wanted to BF, but we ended up supplementing and then exclusively FF. Anyway, she could not get the suck, swallow, breath pattern down at all. She was barely eating a half ounce every 3 hours. Eventually her blood sugar dropped dangerously low, and she was on a feeding tube for a few days. We tried different nipples, and bottles. Finally, we realized the Playtex Ventaire Advance was the best for her. She couldn't "latch" onto other nipples for some reason. I also would move her chin up and down when she had the bottle in her mouth, but was not sucking. It really took her about 2 weeks, to get the hang of it. Your little man just needs to practice! I hope you get to take him home soon!

starrdiva211 · October 2012

My DS was born at 29W6D and is now 4weeks, 6days old. They started the attempt to bottle feed last week with 1X per shift (so 2X a day). He took well with that so they have decided to attempt with every feed and some feeds he does really well and some feeds he is just too tired (as he was this morning when I called to check on him). My lil man is still small (3lbs, 15oz) so we know we have a little while to go before he can consistently take his full feed.

JennZK · November 2012

Ok, we now have been trying bottles for 3 weeks and have had no improvement. He was visited by a speech therapist and the recommendations they gave were exactly what we have been doing already. I'm really starting to get worried. He will be 37 weeks gestation tomorrow and is 10 weeks old. At this point it doesn't bother me because I want to get out of here, I just want him to be able to eat on his own.

KatFCo · November 2012

Every baby is different. DD was born at 23w6d and wasn't even allowed to attempt feeding until she was almost 38 weeks, due to NEC and poor weight gain. On her first bottle, she seemed to "get it" and never looked back.

I really do think it's something that just clicks. All of these milestones can be frustrating at times, seeming like two steps forward, one step back. Trust that it will happen, even if you don't know when.

JennZK · November 2012

BostonKisses2:
JennZK:
Ok, we now have been trying bottles for 3 weeks and have had no improvement. He was visited by a speech therapist and the recommendations they gave were exactly what we have been doing already. I'm really starting to get worried. He will be 37 weeks gestation tomorrow and is 10 weeks old. At this point it doesn't bother me because I want to get out of here, I just want him to be able to eat on his own.
Try not to worry. There were babies born after Judith in the NICU who didn't get feeding until 37w GA or later. Is the ST going to work with him during feeds? Hang in there - I know you want him home, but at the same time he's where he needs to be to get this worked out so he can be successful when he does come home.

They aren't going to work with him every feeding, but they filled out a recommendation sheet and hung it by his crib so every nurse will feed him the same way, the way that is determined best for him. It is pretty detailed so I feel pretty good about it. He is still only getting one bottle per shift, 1 every 12 hours, so I try to time it so I get to feed him. But it is ultimately up to him when he is ready for a bottle. So I feel better now knowing that if he gets fed in the middle of the night when I am not here he will being fed consistently the same way and getting the time he needs and deserves. This week he has been taking a pacifier so much more too so I think that is a sign that he is more ready. He has been retaining fluid too so they have him on a diuretic and that should help him feel better and want to eat. I hope all the things we are trying work. I really appreciate all the encouragement, we're on day 71 here in the NICU and things are starting the wear on me a little.

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