My daughter has been doing great for being a 35 weeker. But we are struggling with feeding. She has been nursing pretty well but has not gained weight yet. So I've been trying to supplement her with some enfacare to try and get her some weight. But I can't get her to drink more than half an ounce. And I have no clue how much she's getting when nursing. I'm just terrified of something happening now and her having to go to the nicu now. She also had to go in the hospital for her temp last Friday and they gave her antibiotics and she is still having greenish mucous poops. Is that normal? They aren't the normal breast fed poops. I just don't know what to do about this whole preemie thing. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Re: Feeding a 35weeker
Have you checked out www.kellymom.com? It's a great BFing resource.
The green poops makes me think she's not getting enough of the fatty hindmilk. She should be nursing for 20-45min every 2-3hrs (start the clock from when each feed begins). If she's having problems staying awake, tickle feet, burp, run her head, to keep her awake and sucking.
If you pump, know that how much you pump is not an indicator of your supply and/or what she gets while nursing. Babies are way more efficient than the pump.
The BFing board here is also a great resource.
If you haven't, call your pedi or hospital to get in touch w an LC. Nursing is so so hard in the beginning. But it does get easier!
W the twins (34w), they had NG tubes until they were eating well, so I needed less tricks! You can also massage under her chin to get her going a bit.
If she's only nursing 10min at a time, that's def causing the green poops and lack of weight gain. How are her wet/dirty diapers?
How often is she eating? With her being so sleepy and not gaining, you should prob wake to feed at least every 2-3hrs around the clock. Are you feeding off one boob or two?
You can pump and bottle feed, but if her latch is great then it isn't a transfer issue, it's a sleepiness issue that's really common w near-term babies. If nursing is your goal, that would be low on my list of things to try. I'd feed more often first.
I'd still try and get in tough w an LC if you haven't. They can be a great resource.
It's totally overwhelming, especially w a sleepy one in the beginning.
Is she swallowing a lot while nursing? That can tell you the flow of your milk. My 35w0d never nursed more than about 15min. She nursed every 2hrs round the clock but my milk was fast and she guzzled and was done. By about 10weeks she was down to 8-10min per feeding and after a few months her feeds were only 4-6min.
See about doing a weighed feed while at the doctors. We did one (they weigh baby fully clothes before you nurse then again after nursing-don't change diaper or anything). How much more does she weigh? My daughter was always getting a full feed in the short nurse sessions.
My daughter did have a dairy intolerance (still does at 16months). But, the main diagnosis of this was a good 15-20 poops every 24hrs. It was liquid and green and has a strong distinct smell. But it was the frequency that really cued us in. I cut any and all dairy from my diet and she went down to about 2-3 normal poops a day.