Feeding Premature Babies At Home

By Annabelle Holman


Premature babies are very delicate and they need extra care to survive. Their organs are not usually well developed therefore it is not possible to take food like normal children. Feeding premature babies is not easy because their digestive system may not be fully developed. The doctors may think the baby is mature enough to be taken home or use some methods that help to add fluids and nutrients to the child.

The preterm can have milk introduced to them in a gradual manner. This is however only allowed after a doctor has allowed it to be done. The baby can have a problem with the absorption of nutrients in the milk therefore the process should not be done too quickly or too slowly.

The kids who are born early have problems absorbing the nutrients from milk. They can therefore be fed some dietary supplements that will enhance their growth. There are also some nutrients that newborns receive during the last stages of pregnancy but the ones born early miss out on them. The supplements can therefore help in giving them the nutrients they lack.

There are different approaches that are usually used to feed the preterm babies. One of them is through the use of an IV line which is a tube that goes straight to the stomach of the baby and it adds the required nutrients straight into the blood stream. The process is usually done for a few hours to a few days depending on the prematurity of the baby.

There are babies who are however born when they are mature enough to digest food but they cannot co-ordinate the sucking, breathing and swallowing of milk during breast feeding. This is done with the use of a soft tube that is directed to the stomach through the nose or the mouth. It is done until the baby learns to suckle milk.

Having a premature baby should never make a mother give up on breast feeding. The premature newborns are usually associated with a lot of stress and fatigue on the mothers due to the extra care they require. This stress affects milk production which may be needed after the baby is mature enough to breast feed. Mothers therefore need to be patient and wait for their babies to develop.

Breast milk is the best kind of food newborns can have and it is highly recommended by neonatologists. The milk usually has enough nutrients to improve their health and build strength and also protects them from viruses and bacteria. It normally contains antibodies that enhance the immunity of the child. It is also easy to digest compared to baby formula.

Mothers who never have to use their breast milk for some time may notice that it disappears after some time. If the mother is waiting for their child to mature, they can use some methods of enhancing milk production such as cuddling with the baby. If the babies practice suckling on the breast, more milk will be produced too.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment