Tuesday, August 5, 2014

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 premature infant can have milk familiarized with their bodies gradually. However, this is only allowed if a doctor has recommended it to be tried. The infant can have difficulties with the taking in of the nutrients inside the milk hence the process must not be carried out too hastily 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.

Many neonatologists recommend that premature newborns be fed breast milk if it is possible because it has a lot of benefits. The milk will help to build the strength and health of the kid and at the same time it will protect them from bacteria and viruses. The breast milk has antibodies that help to protect the baby against diseases and build their immune system. It is also easier to digest than baby formula.

Mothers who never utilize their breast milk on their babies for a long time may have their milk production rate go down after some time. When the mom is waiting for the child to develop, they can apply some methods of improving milk production like cuddling with the infant. If the babies rehearse suckling on their breast, more milk can be produced too.




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