Community› The Bump Month Clubs› December 2015 Moms
December 2015 Moms
New Discussion

Preemie Stomach Issues

teachmegs817teachmegs817 member
in December 2015 Moms
I am going out a whim here and thinking my almost 3w preemie is having some sort of stomach/intestinal issue.  It started yesterday.  After a feeding he falls asleep and DH or I put him in the bassinet.  He's been sleeping anywhere from 2 1/2-3 hours after each feeding with no issues.  Yesterday he almost sounded as if he was congested a little bit and kept making grunting, clearing his throat kind of noises and scrunching his body up as if he were trying to squeeze out a fart or poop.  It was to the point where he'd either wake himself up or just become so restless in the bassinet that DH or I would pick him up and try to rock him and soothe him back to a sound sleep.  He still is having bowel movements and passing gas regularly, so I'm not quite sure what it may be.  He's not spitting up anything unusual and I am strictly BF and giving him expressed milk from a bottle (Medela breast milk bottles). When DH or I do pick him up and hold him, he is able to get himself back to sleep and isn't too fidgety or noisy, so we're able to put him back in the bassinet after 10-15 minutes of holding him.  I have a pediatrician appointment on Tuesday, but I may call Monday and try to get in, if the symptoms are still present after the weekend.  Has anyone had this issue with their LO's, preemie or not?  
Report Reply to Post

Re: Preemie Stomach Issues

  • Gingermom15Gingermom15 member
    edited January 2016
    Mine did the same thing, also a 37 weeker. The congestion is normal according to my ped and being a c-section baby exacerbated the issue. The straining was gas which is also normal since babies have immature digestive systems. Gas drops when it got really bad helped quite a bit and so did exercising his legs in bicycle motion, keep him upright for 20-30 minutes after eating and see if that helps. My baby would also choke and gag himself awake but never spit up, he would burp and shriek from pain and grimace for a few seconds. He was diagnosed with silent reflux and was put on Zantac twice a day. He is so much more comfortable burping now. Keep an am eye on your baby for those signs as his ped said reflux was common in preemies. Definitely talk to his dr over any and every concern even if the issue seems to be resolved.
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • teachmegs817teachmegs817 member
    edited January 2016
    @sarahgn Thank you, for your response.  My little guy was born at 34w3d, so he was about 6 weeks early.  He was doing great with no issues what so ever stomach wise, until now.  I was also thinking that maybe because his stomach is growing a bit and he's taking in more food now than he was around birth/shortly after that, that may have something to do with it too.  He eats anywhere from 60-70 mL per feeding. I just got done giving him his afternoon bottle and he spit up twice about a tablespoon of phlegmy milk. I am def. going to ask about the reflux and see where I get with it.  Did you BF or use formula?  I ask because I was thinking of switching his bottles and using the Dr. Browns natural flow bottles to maybe slow down how fast he eats. He can down a 60-70mL bottle in 10 minutes if we'd let him, sometimes less.  I have to pull the bottle out of his mouth to give him time to swallow what he's got in there and just to breath a little between the sucking and swallowing. 
    Report Reply
  • Gingermom15Gingermom15 member
    I EBF with the occasional expressed milk bottle at night or at gatherings. I use the Dr. Brown Preemie flow, which is closest to the slow flow of the breast. I highly reccomend giving it a try because I did notice an improvement in gas and fussiness after switching to them. They are a standard nipple so they should fit any standard bottle. I have found more success using the preemie nipple with the Dr. Brown bottle that has a green vent. Since breastfed babies don't need to eat more with time as formula fed babies do, I plan on sticking with the preemie flow so his consumption from the bottle stays around the same and it also helps him realize when he is full faster. With the 0+nipples he gulped the milk so fast there was no way he knew he was full until he was done, then he would be too full.
    Report Reply
  • kdoak2015kdoak2015 member
    We just bought the doc brown bottles today with premie nipple and so far so good(only had one feeding).
    Report Reply
  • teachmegs817teachmegs817 member
    Once DH got home, I ran to Target and bought the Options bottles and a pack of the Preemie nipples. He's been asleep since 2:30 and we'll try the bottles at next feeding. =) Thanks for the suggestion @sarahgn
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"