Difficult Feeding 12 Week Pre Mature Baby... PLEASE HELP Mom Is at Her Wits End.

Updated on January 29, 2009
J.M. asks from Broomfield, CO
4 answers

I have a friend who had premature identical twins. The littlest one of the two has had some eating issues when it comes to the bottle and falling a sleep. She has taken her to the doctor and she is gaining weight just fine but he wants her to push the 3 ounces, the problem is she will eat from the little bottles that the hospital gives you but she wont drink out of any others whether it has the same nipple or not. The little bottle only holds 2 ounces so once they finally get the 2 ounces down then they have to switch bottles and by then she really wont have anything to do with it. They have tickled under the chin and that will work for a few swallows and then they are right back to square one. They have undressed her, They blow a little bit of air in her face to try to wake her up and still nothing. She would much rather throw a fit or just fall back to sleep. Mom is worried that she isnt getting enough since she will go all the way to her next feeding 3-4 hrs later before she eats again. Like I said the doctor is pushing the 3 ounces as he says the 2 ounces isnt enough. Please can anybody help. I have given her my views on this but I can only say so much. Maybe somebody else out there has gone thru this same issue. Maybe somebody else has had multiples and they can give her some tips on how to handle twins.

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H.W.

answers from Colorado Springs on

PRINT FOR FRIEND...
I am a mother of seven....
If the baby is satisfied with 2 ounces so be it.
They will increase when they are ready regardless of prematurity....
I suggest trying to add a feeding of another 2 ounces in!
If weight gain is good...what is the issue?????
As they get bigger babies need more to eat but to avoid spit up......why not add a feeding instead of increasing portions????
OH...FYI...my full term 17 pound 5 month old son gets supplemental bottles twice a day...and he only takes 2 ounces!

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K.D.

answers from Denver on

I had a little on with feeding issues, and a feeding therapist did wonders for him. I'd encourage her to get the baby evaluated by a specialist before she has to deal with the issues that come from not eating enough. Had we gotten help at her baby's age, we would have saved close to $15,000 in medical bills. That's a very conservative figure, too. There's a lot of reasons a little on can be so picky, and many of them are very treatable if you know what you're looking for. GL!

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B.S.

answers from Salt Lake City on

J.,
Maybe a therapist is the best idea, I didn't know they had therapists for this kind of thing until I read the other response.
I just had an idea... Maybe instead of giving her the two ounces first she could try giving her one ounce, then refill the bottle with two ounces. Hopefully her baby would still be hungry after the first ounce and then just keep eating with the second bottle.
I would think though that if she's not eating it and not wanting to eat for 3-4 hours then she is getting enough. Although, I can see where there would be more concern for a premature baby. I hope she figures it out!

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S.B.

answers from Denver on

I had a preemie who was 16 weeks premature and never ever ever drank as much as the dr said. She also only drank from the small bottles - never finished a big bottle in her life. As long as the baby is gaining weight, tell the dr to back off. If the baby is not gaining weight, then see the feeding therapist ASAP. We went to the dr's office once a week to weigh in. Your friend needs to be sure her pediatrician has experience with extreme preemies. If not, she may want to change drs. Where is your friend? IF you are in CO I can give you some referrals for drs and for feeding therapists.

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