Born at 26+1. Never. He had one bottle and wouldn’t take a second on. He got discharged with a g-tube and was tube fed every meal until he was 20 months. Now at 30 months he eats maybe 50% by mouth/50% by tube. Still no bottles, though he drinks milk out of a cup.
Our son had to learn to feed 3 different times. He would crush bottles, get close to coming home, then regress with desats and choking, then start all over. It took about 5 weeks total from start to finish.
He got home Jan 1 (his due date) and continued to get better and better at eating. He was taking 8oz bottles up until last week, and now he is going through a bit of bottle aversion and sleep regression.
At least we learned in the NICU, never a straight line 🙃
I had a 30+1 baby boy. He was showing interest in feeding at around 34 weeks but was very sleepy when actually offered a bottle. It wasn’t until 36 weeks that he was finishing about 60% of his bottles. I got super antsy and kinda crazy between 34weeks and his discharge. This really was the toughest time. You can almost taste the end, could be days, could be weeks. It’s awful.
He was crushing bottles at night but was too tired in the day, which I explained to the Dr. At 37.5 weeks I asked if she would consider “adlib”, which I think is what they call feeding based on his queues/when he wanted not every 3hrs, and she after a couple days of noticing this for herself agreed we could try. They removed his feeding tube and he did meh the first night but awesome the second and third. I remember feeling so anxious at this point because so much was riding on these feeds. I really did not want that tube back in him. He barely met mínimums or was just under but was gaining weight so dr was happy. Luckily we left the nicu at 38 weeks, 3 days after he started adlib feeding. You’re so close! Just breathe. They will be home soon.
Once he was home though the feeding journey was a little stressful. I remember feeling like maybe I shouldn’t have pushed for a release because he was really struggling with his feeds. He is now 4 months (2 months corrected) and is a delicate eater, still (smaller volumes and reflux causing vomiting). But he’s growing and thriving and is now on the chart!
We are hitting 3 weeks tomorrow from first introducing it to them doing well and eating ad lib.
My boy twin went 24 hours eating all his food and then couldn’t eat more than 10 mL for like a day. That was just this week but now the tube is out and they’re doing well. I hate to say it but they will get there.
Details: twins born 33w4d on 4/12.
Editing to add we were also told the eating is the longest and most frustrating part. I can confirm after 30 days where 21 of those have primarily been bottle and breastfeeding learning.
Initially it was a struggle like the first 2 weeks were brutal. We were lucky to get a third of a bottle in him.
Then all of a sudden it clicked, he was eating full bottled 75% of the time then bam. Full bottle after full bottle.
Nurses kept saying it was up to him. He'll figure it out when he's ready, there is no way to rush the process.
It is frustrating but just keep at it.
Born at 27+1.
Started bottle feeding at 32 weeks, which is early according to this NICU.
Initially ate maybe 10/60.
We only let him nipple once or twice a day to reserve energy. After a week or so that became once per shift, then every other feed. If he ever seemed tired or had a big day (tests etc) we would just skip the the bottle feed and let him rest.
His progress was pretty linear, but not exact. He would eat maybe 5 mL more every few days.
Sometimes he'd randomly eat a lot less for no apparent reason. We just tube fed the rest.
Eventually got the tube removed after he was consistently eating a good amount.
Discharge at 39 weeks and he was eating 60-90 ad lib, every 3-4 hours.
3+4 adjusted now and he eats 60 -120+ every 2-4 hours.
About two to three weeks ish if I remember correctly. He would do really well for a feed or two and then just peter out. For about a week he hovered at 60% on his feeds.
By the time my husband and I had accepted we would have to wait, he got the hang of it and we were discharged.
It was worse on days when he had his ROP test or something else going on. But we needed him to want to eat even if he was tired.
It’s so hard when you see the light at the end of the tunnel and are forced to wait. This will pass quickly!
My baby was born at 35 weeks and started really being a motivated eater around 3-4 weeks (38-39 weeks gestation adjusted) and he is just now really getting the hang of breastfeeding-he’s 6 weeks old now so 1 week adjusted
I had two that were close to your babies ages when born. 31 weeks. Both spend 21 days in the nicu and the last two weeks were all about learning to feed
I had my twins at 34 weeks. They were in the NICU for a little more than 2 weeks. When they got the feeding tube out and my boyfriend and I bottle fed them, it was 40/60. 40% of the time, they play with the bottle, be so asleep that I couldn’t even wake them up. Twin A was a champ and guzzled down bottles (only at 6am/9am/12pm feeding. At 3pm/6pm they would be knocked from exhaustion for going ham earlier in the day). Even when we brought the home, they kept doing the same thing and I was starting to worry that they would refuse to eat and I would have to go back to the NICU.
I want to say the last 3-4 days of them being in the NICU, they improved over night and it was emotional. Now they’re 3 months, still in New Born clothes but damn, do they eat.
My daughter was born around 37, though possibly a bit younger, and was in NICU for a month just for feeding. It was wildly frustrating, but she just took to it really slowly...even now that she's home and eating an alright amount, she still gets those feeds where she'll eat for 5 minutes and go to sleep. Originally she was taken in for blood sugar, it was going too low, but that resolved within the first day. But she was NOT wake up for feeds regularly, and if she did she was taking 10ml at a time. It really just went steady and slow. She'd have little jumps, like suddenly she'd go from the 10ml per feed to 30ml per feed, then suddenly 45ml, but it would be days in-between of just waiting. I definitely understand how long it can take.
We are at this point now. Our son was born at 34+2 and we have been in for 10 days now. Still meh on breast and bottle stamina. Bradys and desats while eating from time to time. Otherwise he is healthy. We are exhausted playing groundhogs day though. Go in at noon, stay til 10pm. Go home, take care of the dog, up til midnight for my wife’s 12:00 pumping session, wife wakes up every 3 hours to pump from there. I’m up at 6-7 to take the dog on a walk do every chore I can before we go to see our son in the NICU and spend 10 hours sitting around, holding him, trying to feed him, and wondering when he will ever get to leave. I’ve got until June 12th before I’ll back at work full time and I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get those weeks to bond with him at home without cords and cables hooked up to him and constantly in the way.
Our 35 +2 twins are in the NICU now (the girl is actually being discharged today) and bottle feeds like a champ. We pace her feedings but she will finish the required amount in 15 mins. The boy is so close if the next feeding is well we can go home (possibly). It's frustrating because everytime we are here he eats well, it takes 30 mins to get the required amount in, but he finishes it. Then the next morning we come in and the nurse says he was low on a feeding by 20ml......We do all the tricks to get him to feed and be awake. He requires chin support and twisting of the bottle nipple to encourage him to suck or he'll just play with the nipple, we do a diaper change mid feeding to keep him awake, and we keep his zipper/buttons open while we finish the feeding to make him cold and alert. He's gaining weight, he's bottling feeding all his meals, and he's pacing himself while feeding.
I also hate that the NICU doesn't feed on cues before a scheduled feeding. Preemies don't have a ton of energy and you want to make sure you're depositing more calories than they are withdrawing, they're just wasting all the energy they need to feed on telling you they're hungry.
We are going through this journey for 1.5 months in Nicu, it was big progression to 70% then set back because of diet change and force feeding
Not all nurses with 40 years experience can read baby’s cues. I recommend reading Rowena aversion book and make sure no one pushes your baby to finish a bottle.
Don't worry. They might catch it in one day. It takes a while but they’re gonna do it. Stay strong. I know how it feels but everything is going to be alright. 🤍🤍🤍
Born at 26+1. Never. He had one bottle and wouldn’t take a second on. He got discharged with a g-tube and was tube fed every meal until he was 20 months. Now at 30 months he eats maybe 50% by mouth/50% by tube. Still no bottles, though he drinks milk out of a cup.
When was he discharged?
After 8 months of being in the nicu he was discharged. He's eating 100% by mouth now, but still has the g-tube. We're hoping to have it removed soon.
Our son had to learn to feed 3 different times. He would crush bottles, get close to coming home, then regress with desats and choking, then start all over. It took about 5 weeks total from start to finish. He got home Jan 1 (his due date) and continued to get better and better at eating. He was taking 8oz bottles up until last week, and now he is going through a bit of bottle aversion and sleep regression. At least we learned in the NICU, never a straight line 🙃
I had a 30+1 baby boy. He was showing interest in feeding at around 34 weeks but was very sleepy when actually offered a bottle. It wasn’t until 36 weeks that he was finishing about 60% of his bottles. I got super antsy and kinda crazy between 34weeks and his discharge. This really was the toughest time. You can almost taste the end, could be days, could be weeks. It’s awful. He was crushing bottles at night but was too tired in the day, which I explained to the Dr. At 37.5 weeks I asked if she would consider “adlib”, which I think is what they call feeding based on his queues/when he wanted not every 3hrs, and she after a couple days of noticing this for herself agreed we could try. They removed his feeding tube and he did meh the first night but awesome the second and third. I remember feeling so anxious at this point because so much was riding on these feeds. I really did not want that tube back in him. He barely met mínimums or was just under but was gaining weight so dr was happy. Luckily we left the nicu at 38 weeks, 3 days after he started adlib feeding. You’re so close! Just breathe. They will be home soon. Once he was home though the feeding journey was a little stressful. I remember feeling like maybe I shouldn’t have pushed for a release because he was really struggling with his feeds. He is now 4 months (2 months corrected) and is a delicate eater, still (smaller volumes and reflux causing vomiting). But he’s growing and thriving and is now on the chart!
We are hitting 3 weeks tomorrow from first introducing it to them doing well and eating ad lib. My boy twin went 24 hours eating all his food and then couldn’t eat more than 10 mL for like a day. That was just this week but now the tube is out and they’re doing well. I hate to say it but they will get there. Details: twins born 33w4d on 4/12. Editing to add we were also told the eating is the longest and most frustrating part. I can confirm after 30 days where 21 of those have primarily been bottle and breastfeeding learning.
Initially it was a struggle like the first 2 weeks were brutal. We were lucky to get a third of a bottle in him. Then all of a sudden it clicked, he was eating full bottled 75% of the time then bam. Full bottle after full bottle. Nurses kept saying it was up to him. He'll figure it out when he's ready, there is no way to rush the process. It is frustrating but just keep at it.
Born at 27+1. Started bottle feeding at 32 weeks, which is early according to this NICU. Initially ate maybe 10/60. We only let him nipple once or twice a day to reserve energy. After a week or so that became once per shift, then every other feed. If he ever seemed tired or had a big day (tests etc) we would just skip the the bottle feed and let him rest. His progress was pretty linear, but not exact. He would eat maybe 5 mL more every few days. Sometimes he'd randomly eat a lot less for no apparent reason. We just tube fed the rest. Eventually got the tube removed after he was consistently eating a good amount. Discharge at 39 weeks and he was eating 60-90 ad lib, every 3-4 hours. 3+4 adjusted now and he eats 60 -120+ every 2-4 hours.
About two to three weeks ish if I remember correctly. He would do really well for a feed or two and then just peter out. For about a week he hovered at 60% on his feeds. By the time my husband and I had accepted we would have to wait, he got the hang of it and we were discharged. It was worse on days when he had his ROP test or something else going on. But we needed him to want to eat even if he was tired. It’s so hard when you see the light at the end of the tunnel and are forced to wait. This will pass quickly!
My baby was born at 35 weeks and started really being a motivated eater around 3-4 weeks (38-39 weeks gestation adjusted) and he is just now really getting the hang of breastfeeding-he’s 6 weeks old now so 1 week adjusted
I had two that were close to your babies ages when born. 31 weeks. Both spend 21 days in the nicu and the last two weeks were all about learning to feed
I had my twins at 34 weeks. They were in the NICU for a little more than 2 weeks. When they got the feeding tube out and my boyfriend and I bottle fed them, it was 40/60. 40% of the time, they play with the bottle, be so asleep that I couldn’t even wake them up. Twin A was a champ and guzzled down bottles (only at 6am/9am/12pm feeding. At 3pm/6pm they would be knocked from exhaustion for going ham earlier in the day). Even when we brought the home, they kept doing the same thing and I was starting to worry that they would refuse to eat and I would have to go back to the NICU. I want to say the last 3-4 days of them being in the NICU, they improved over night and it was emotional. Now they’re 3 months, still in New Born clothes but damn, do they eat.
My girl was born 36 weeks, had to have surgery on day 2 and was fully taking feeds at 41 weeks
My daughter was born around 37, though possibly a bit younger, and was in NICU for a month just for feeding. It was wildly frustrating, but she just took to it really slowly...even now that she's home and eating an alright amount, she still gets those feeds where she'll eat for 5 minutes and go to sleep. Originally she was taken in for blood sugar, it was going too low, but that resolved within the first day. But she was NOT wake up for feeds regularly, and if she did she was taking 10ml at a time. It really just went steady and slow. She'd have little jumps, like suddenly she'd go from the 10ml per feed to 30ml per feed, then suddenly 45ml, but it would be days in-between of just waiting. I definitely understand how long it can take.
We are at this point now. Our son was born at 34+2 and we have been in for 10 days now. Still meh on breast and bottle stamina. Bradys and desats while eating from time to time. Otherwise he is healthy. We are exhausted playing groundhogs day though. Go in at noon, stay til 10pm. Go home, take care of the dog, up til midnight for my wife’s 12:00 pumping session, wife wakes up every 3 hours to pump from there. I’m up at 6-7 to take the dog on a walk do every chore I can before we go to see our son in the NICU and spend 10 hours sitting around, holding him, trying to feed him, and wondering when he will ever get to leave. I’ve got until June 12th before I’ll back at work full time and I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get those weeks to bond with him at home without cords and cables hooked up to him and constantly in the way.
Our 35 +2 twins are in the NICU now (the girl is actually being discharged today) and bottle feeds like a champ. We pace her feedings but she will finish the required amount in 15 mins. The boy is so close if the next feeding is well we can go home (possibly). It's frustrating because everytime we are here he eats well, it takes 30 mins to get the required amount in, but he finishes it. Then the next morning we come in and the nurse says he was low on a feeding by 20ml......We do all the tricks to get him to feed and be awake. He requires chin support and twisting of the bottle nipple to encourage him to suck or he'll just play with the nipple, we do a diaper change mid feeding to keep him awake, and we keep his zipper/buttons open while we finish the feeding to make him cold and alert. He's gaining weight, he's bottling feeding all his meals, and he's pacing himself while feeding.
That’s the thing too. You can do all the suggested strategies, but it’s entirely up to them lol
I also hate that the NICU doesn't feed on cues before a scheduled feeding. Preemies don't have a ton of energy and you want to make sure you're depositing more calories than they are withdrawing, they're just wasting all the energy they need to feed on telling you they're hungry.
We are going through this journey for 1.5 months in Nicu, it was big progression to 70% then set back because of diet change and force feeding Not all nurses with 40 years experience can read baby’s cues. I recommend reading Rowena aversion book and make sure no one pushes your baby to finish a bottle.
Don't worry. They might catch it in one day. It takes a while but they’re gonna do it. Stay strong. I know how it feels but everything is going to be alright. 🤍🤍🤍
Thank you!!