prem care

[Paul&Tracy]

Dear Jan,   I do not work in a scn but have done in the past.    The amount the staff are feeding the baby calculates at being about right.  I just wonder how many sucks (whether breast or bottle) the baby is being offered.  The baby is equivalent to 34 weeks now and should be managing several sucks a day as the suck reflex is usually developed by now.  If the baby had been transferred back to us in Regional W.A., we would possibly allow him to go onto 3 and a half to 4 hourly feeds so he is able to become a little more hungry and possible demand a feed.  This way the baby will be more likely to suck.  A regime such as one tube and two sucks (breast or bottle) or two tubes and one suck would be reasonable for this baby at this stage.  If they are worried about weight loss after sucking, they can always top the baby up post feed through the tube.  However, sounds like they have been doing this and if the baby is vomiting, it obviously must gaining something from the breast and they are overfeeding him. I found that special care nurseries are pretty fanatical about keeping babies well fed.  The staff do a great job but sometimes I think they do overfeed them and it really can hinder further suck feeds.    When we go onto this regime where I work, the babies often initially loose a small amount of weight or remain static for a day, then pick up well.  It is also so much more satisfying for the parents.   Good luck, hope this helps.   Regards, Tracy