Sunday, November 27, 2011
Preemie Life - Day 30 1st Nutritive Feed
Today I got a call from the resident, "Cheetah is giving all the signs that she wants to eat, so we've decided you can try a nutritive feed." And so that's what we did today. How much milk did she get? I have no idea. That's the one thing about nursing that is difficult you just can't tell how much your baby has eaten and we are in such a different position then with a newborn. When a newborn is born the amount of time they spend sucking correlates directly to how much milk you produce. They eat until they are full. If they need more milk they suck longer and that stimulates more milk production. Meanwhile we've got preemie girl. For thirty days I've been pumping so my milk supply is far more then what she needs to eat in the day. Then instead of being like a newborn that sucks until she is full, preemie girl sucks until she is to tired to eat, which happens really fast. And so I put her on and for about five minutes she would suck and sleep, suck and sleep. I know she got some milk. I know she swallowed some, but how much it was, who knows? After she ate I pumped six ounces of milk. Not for the first time in my life did I wish that my breast were clear so I could actually see the milk. I want my baby girl to nurse, but when the student nurse came in and told me that with her preemies she just pumped and then feed them by bottle because she wanted to make sure they got enough to eat, I totally understood where she was coming from and knew there was no way I couldn't say that I might not end up in the same place. But for now, I'm hear, I'm trying, and I'm hoping my little girl will build up some stamina.
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I love nursing too, but also find it very hard and sometimes frustrating when you don't know how much they are getting. I'm glad she is making progress, sounds like she is doing so well!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on another milestone!
ReplyDeleteHave them weigh her before and after a feeding. That's what we did in LLL to see how much babies were getting if the mom was concerned.
It would be so nice if you could have clear breast so you knew how much they were getting and if they had measuring lines on them! :) With Preston they had a scale that measured to the exact ounce. I would have to take his close off except for his diaper, weigh him, nurse him, and weigh him again. I could see approximately how much he was getting or not getting and it was helpful to know. Nursing a preemie is very difficult emotionally-- it is hard to trust that they are getting enough. The bottle makes it easier to see. I am so glad she is at this stage! She is progressing so well! I really hope she is one of those preemies who can and do well at nursing! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteSterling had a tube down his nose and they would suck out the milk after he nursed to see how much he got and would do the same thing right before he nursed again to check how much he digested before the next feeding.
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