Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Ways Of Feeding Premature Babies

By Annabelle Holman


Newborns that come into the world prematurely need a lot of care because of their delicate nature. It is usually hard for them to take in food like other newborns because they have poorly developed body organs. Feeding premature babies is hard especially if their digestive system is not developed. There are some who are born before their time but the doctors believe they are well enough to be taken home but some need extra attention.

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 preterm babies whose digestive systems are usually okay but the problems comes in when it is time to feed them. They are usually too young that they do not know how to suckle milk and swallow it as they breathe at the same time. These kinds of babies can be fed through a soft pipe put through the mouth or nose until they learn to suckle.

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.




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