feeding issue in NICU

daisy19782011 · December 2013

I had twin girls 2 weeks ago at 32w5d and they have done great! They are still in the NICU to work on their body temps, but they have been eating good on the bottle...no feeding tubes. We go up for alot of the feedings and when I feed them, they dont tend to eat as well as when they nurses feed. They guzzle at 1st and then when I stop them to burp, they want to sleep and cuddle. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? alot of times, I am having the nurses finish the feedings b/c they only give them 30 min. to eat. I am worried when then come home they wont eat enough for me...will they grow out of this? Thanks for any words of wisdom you can share...I am so frustrated.

Eshirley26 · December 2013

Congratulations on your girls!
My son was born @ 35 weeks. He had a feeding tube for about 2 weeks, so the fact that they are bottle feeding at this point is awesome! Once we started bottle feeding I found myself in the same boat- he would start strong and I would eventually have to have a nurse finish because we were taking too long. So yes, from my experience it is totally normal and ok! He did grow out of his "terrible eater" phase, and now eats like a champ!
It was so hard for me to end so many feedings by getting the nurses to finish. It's frustrating!
Our NICU nurses were amazing at educating us on different techniques to use while feeding. Try to absorb as much as you can. We were constantly told that he would not have his feeding issues by the time he came home, and we didn't! Hang in there!

daisy19782011 · December 2013

Thank you! I was starting to panic...this makes me feel much better!

carrotcake06 · December 2013

The nurses are so experienced at bottle feeding - they could get both my boys to finish their bottles when I couldn't even get them to latch!

Bottle feeding was completely new to me since my oldest never took a bottle from me, ever. I could the babies to latch onto my boob far easier than I could get them to take a bottle. Go figure.

daisy19782011 · December 2013

Thanks ladies!

ashleymarie512 · December 2013

CeeBug said:
I remember nurses telling us that sometimes babies do not eat as well for a parent because they connect that parent with comfort and safety. This causes them to want to cuddle instead of eat. They also likened preemies eating from a bottle as what it would feel like if we ran a marathon. It just tires them out so much! Getting babies to take a bottle consistently is very frustrating. Hang in there!

This! My LO would rather snuggle than eat for us...to the point that I barely believed them when they said she'd eat full bottles for them and barely a third for us. If nothing else, take comfort in the fact that she clearly knows mommy and would rather snuggle than perform! Also, the gestational age thing...sigh...mine had a hard time with the whole suck-swallow-breath thing...eventually it just clicked, but it was closer to 38-39 weeks.

Kelly_12 · December 2013

The fact that they are eating so well already is awesome! My guy was 34w0d and took until mid 36wks before we could take out the feeding tube. Give it time and they will get better with you! They're doing fantastic and focus on that

LaciJaxx · December 2013

Congrats!!! Glad to hear they are doing so well. Our LO did the same thing. We figured its because he could sense it was mommy or daddy and felt more comfortable and secure. Our nurses were great but they didn't have too much time to snuggle so they were more interested in feeding. Keep up the good work. It will all be fine!!!

Pips09 · December 2013

CeeBug said:

I remember nurses telling us that sometimes babies do not eat as well for a parent because they connect that parent with comfort and safety. This causes them to want to cuddle instead of eat. They also likened preemies eating from a bottle as what it would feel like if we ran a marathon. It just tires them out so much! Getting babies to take a bottle consistently is very frustrating. Hang in there!

I never heard this explanation, but I love it! That would really have helped me feel better.

Brummy14 · December 2013

Hang in there -- feeding is FRUSTRATING. There was a post to this effect a few down -- DD1 was our "best" eater -- took her first full bottle at 6 weeks (35w adjusted) and then still wasn't discharged for 5 more weeks. She was over eager, choked all the time, had major sat drops as a result -- heck, they even pulled her feeding tube and went to shift minimums, only to have her bomb that attempt and take another 10-12 days before she came home. She was actually scheduled to come home on an NG tube with us -- but she just "got it" the day before she came home. No joke. We never used the tube with her once after discharge.

DD2 was another story -- she was our sleepy, sleepy baby. She took FOREVER to figure out eating. She was always crazy congested (courtesy of non-stop oxygen support of some form and awful, awful reflux), so that only made it that much tougher for her. She *did* come home on an NG tube (and oxygen), at about 41 weeks adjusted, and our neo had us pull the tube and push her to full feedings on her own shortly thereafter -- she she totally "got" it and was probably our better eater(more consistent, less battling the bottle for random reasons) by the time they were a month old.

Short version - every baby is different, and they WILL eventually get it. It's just the journey by which they get there can be frustrating and long and seemingly impossible. We get it, so feel free to vent here all you want -- I absolutely did during my stay!

andthatmakes4 · December 2013

I couldn't write this exact post when my LO was in the NICU. I cried the few days before he came home because I was so scared he wouldn't eat for me. He ate like a champ for the nurses. It took until we were at home for it to click with us. I think me not being so tense about it helped. I'm sorry you're going through this. It was so scary. But your babies will start to eat from you. And hopefully, very soon.

BethQB · December 2013

I also have a 35 weeker and struggled to get her to eat at first. Some fabulous nurses helped us a lot by showing me how to hold her more upright, facing me with my hand behind her head. We also take her blankets/swaddle off to feed, it helps her stay awake longer.

She came home after 9 days in the NICU (mostly for the feeding issues) and she is eating great at home.

[Deleted User] · December 2013

I just started bottle feeding my 27 weeker (he is 35 now). He does get lazy as you described and generally does better with nurses. It's normal. One thing a nurse told me was to take his hat and blankets off so he's not warm. That keeps him awake and he actually feeds better. You can try that if you want. Mainly just be patient. You will get there!

Kelleplusone · December 2013

My son did that too! My nurse said he knows my voice and smell and finds it comforting and they fall asleep. My son had a hard time waking up for feedings to begin with so it was hard sometimes. But there are techniques we used at home like stroking the cheek, a finger under his chin, the position of the baby even. Ask every nurse that cares for him for their feeding methods.
Right now it's crucial that they finish a feeding in 30mins but I promise the Dr won't let you leave the nicu if they thought lo wouldn't eat at home. My son was like your lo and when we left the nicu he weighed 4lb 12oz. Now, roughly three weeks later he weighs 6lbs 7oz.

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