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Feeding Issues?

Angela - posted on 08/23/2011 ( 1 mom has responded )

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Anyone battle feeding issues with their IUGR baby? Alice was born at 37 weeks due to my Pre-eclampsia... she was 4lb 4oz. She has some other issues she battled.. but is otherwise pretty healthy now and reaching most milestones somewhat on time.... EXCEPT for eating! We were in NICU for 32 days and a lot of it was battling eating.. she did not do well with bottles and ended up coming home with a Gtube..even now at 6mos she often refuses to eat although we know she can do it. I work with baby foods everyday and she does alright but just doesn't seem to want much volume. I pumped so have EBM with Neosure for extra calories...and I've tried sippy cups, open cups... I get creative. I want to get her off the tube feedings... but ride the line of having her get enough in her and refusing to eat normally... so anyone else have an IUGR infant that just doesn't seem to be hungry a lot or battles any other eating type issues? She's 11lb 10oz now at 6mos... but mostly because of the tube.

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Justine - posted on 08/28/2011

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Have you tried finger-feeding? I haven't done it w/my IUGR baby, but I did do it for 3 months w/my now 4 yo who would never latch. It worked like a charm.
With my new baby, 35 weeks, 3 lbs, 15 oz, we were kept in the NICU for a month, among other things, to make sure he was breastfeeding successfully (he was one of those "failure to thrive" guys). Their policy was not to allow them home w/a g-tube. In retrospect, I appreciate this b/c we went home knowing he would feed on his own (Though I admit it was scary, the g-tube gives you a sense of security!). He could not latch w/o a nipple shield because he was so small & like you, I also had to supplement w/BM & NeoSure bottle feedings. After awhile, he did not tolerate the formula & I had to go without supplementation. So now he is breastfed & eating solids. I just go with the foods he seems crazy about & I let him try pretty much everything. I just want him to eat.
He is now 5 1/2 months & 12 lbs 3 oz (or so) so, given he is a boy, your daughter might not be all that far off. It is difficult to look at the growth charts & seem them tracking on or below the 2nd percentile, but I know baby will make it up in time.

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