30+5 is now 4 months actual, 2 months adjusted. only drinks about 30-45 ml per feed

[flightlessbird]

My 30+5 weeker is now 4 months actual, 2 months adjusted. He has BPD and is home on oxygen 1L. He only drinks about 30-45 ml per feed, but eats every 1.5 to 2 hrs. He currently weighs 9 lbs 9 oz. He did come home on NG tube, but pediatrician agreed to stop using it and see if he gains weight w/o the tube. Dr is happy with his weight gain. But I’m worried he doesn’t eat more than 1 oz per feed. he does wake up at night to eat, and we usually have like 15 feedings a day, about 400 ml per day, sometimes more.

He used to take 60-80 ml in the NICU, but they started adding oatmeal, and messing with his schedule, and once they put him on continuous feeds, he started taking only like 20ml. Once we came home we stopped continuous and now is more interested in eating, but only does about 30-45 ml per feed.

Anyone with experience like this? Will he increase his feeds? Should I try to stretch his feed time to every 3 hours to see if he takes more??

Thank you!

 

[straykat]

@flightlessbird The total volume is ultimately more important than how much baby eats at an individual feeding and your baby’s total daily volume seems appropriate so, in the context of weight gain, that’s all well and good. And it’s common advice to offer smaller, more frequent feedings for babies who struggle with endurance over larger feedings, which would be common for a baby with respiratory issues. However, 15 feedings a day on a long term basis would drive me absolutely bonkers. If you want to try and slowly stretch the time between feedings for that reason, go ahead.

 

[gisellemartinez1]

@straykat Totally agree with this - focus on the daily volume instead of each feeding. And if concerned about calorie intake, could you discuss with your pediatrician increasing the calorie count for the feeds? We were discharged feeding breastmilk fortified to 30 cal because baby had reflux and didn't eat large volumes. Would be worth looking into.

 

[notworthconsideration]

@flightlessbird Talk with your pediatrician.

For my guy, we tried pushing feedings little by little in hopes of getting him to eat more in one sitting but his goal was every 3 hours or 2 if he was having a growth spurt.

He tapped out at 120ml per feed. He hit his first birthday at 26.5lbs. He'd take 6 to 8 bottles a day, up to 10 if he was having a growth spurt.

If I recall correctly, at 4 months actual, he was about 18lbs and taking 60oz. His volume increased with weight, not necessarily age.

 

[daddydubya]

@flightlessbird Our LO has a similar story - discharged on NG. We are also concerned bc ours would only take 2 oz every 2 hrs totaling maybe 22 oz a day on average. He’s 12 and a half pounds at 2 months adjusted so should be taking much more than that

In the beginning I would encourage a lot - teetering on pushing him. I was afraid of creating an aversion. He pulled out his NG a week after discharge..I left it out. That seemed to help a little. I also removed his fortifier a few days ago and that seemed to increase his volume by a few ounces. I’ll talk to pediatrician next week to see if we can switch fortifier or formally leave it out

Other than that I also take advantage of the time of day he seems to be ferral and want to cluster feed. We usually can get an extra ounce or two in the evenjng.

Not sure what else I can do

If you figure it out let me know!

 

[bianglican]

@flightlessbird LO 5 is months corrected now. He did not have a Ng tube but his volume has always been low. He used to drink almost 25oz(24 kcal fortified) a day when he was in the NICU, post discharge we never really reached that volume. We put so much pressure on him to drink more, he developed bottle aversions. It was the more stressful thing ever!! Now at almost 16 lbs he only averages about 21-22oz a day. He is gaining good weight steadily, so stopped obsessing over the numbers. Your baby will dedicate how much want to eat, as long as they are gaining okay weight.