Babies and Children with a Feeding Tubebe
So first, here's a detailed run down of our feeding history:Baby S was in the NICU for 24 days. For the first two weeks, she was fed basic nutrients intravenously. During the second week they began to tube feed her a little breast milk starting with 5cc's.
We started to bottle feed S sometime around the the third week. At first, she was drinking small amounts, like 30cc's. She was taking it very well. While I was pregnant I was always hungry and she would kick in my belly after I ate. She loves food! When we started feeding her from a bottle I could tell that she still loved to eat. She would suck the milk down with gusto.
The nursed upped her feeds everyday and S continued to do great until the amount reached 50 or so. She would drink 40cc's and then get really sleepy and refuse to drink any more and the remainder of the feed would be fed by tube. The NICU feeding specialist also noticed some coughing and decided to order a swallow study. There, it was discovered that S had silent aspirations. In other words, she was swallowing down the wrong tube sometimes. It wasn't much, but a drop of milk here and there in her lungs could build up and make her very sick and could lead to pneumonia. Which she already had once when she was born.)
After only four days of bottle feeding the order was to stop all feedings by mouth and feed only by NG tube. Baby S was able to go home from the NICU with the NG tube. We fed her exclusively by tube at home for about a month and a half.
Then it was time for another swallow study and S passed!!! She had no aspirations. We were given the green light to try bottle feeding three times a day (out of 8 total). S was doing pretty good. Usually drinking at least 2 out of the three. She would completely reject one and then throw up allot on another feed. S has acid reflux and is taking Zantac. When we first started the bottle feeding, she was throwing up ALLOT. It seems to be getting better but she still needs the Zantac.
After three days we were told to up the bottle feeds to 6 a day (out of 8). I think this was too aggressive. Baby S only took 6 once I think. Usually, she would refuse a few and throw up during a few. And she would never finish everything but I think we were trying to feed her too much anyways. I've been using the weight/ calorie calculations that the GI specialist gave us but I think its still too much for my baby.
We kept trying to get 6 bottle feeds a day for a week and by then, S was developing a oral aversion. I would put her in the feeding position on my knee and she would arch her back and start wailing immediately. Probably the acid reflux was turning her off of drinking. And, I think it was very hard for her. She hadn't developed the skills or muscle tone yet to drink 6 times a day.
So then it was back to square one and we stopped all oral feeding.
This was really hard for me and I spend allot of those first days crying. I was also upset about the likelihood of not breastfeeding. I really wanted to breastfeed and I'm still trying now and then but it looks pretty bleak. I remind myself that my baby is alive and learning to drink on her own and that is more important than breastfeeding.
So we exclusively tube fed again for two weeks. Then tried to bottle feed once a day. She took them well. Usually about half the amount. Their were lots of spit ups. After 4 days went to two bottles a day. Did that for 3 days and she did about the same- good. The next 3 days, went to 3 bottles a day. Things slowed down. Started to get allot of refusals. It looked like S was going back getting mad every time she ever would see a bottle!
That brings us up to yesterday...
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