https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:53:41 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2728493 Mon, 24 Apr 2017 17:23:20 +0000 Iced Tea 2728493@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sillymilly: What great news! Congrats! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2728455 Mon, 24 Apr 2017 15:24:33 +0000 sillymilly 2728455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone for your encouragement/advice! DD successfully nursed for the whole weekend for the first time (still did a bottle at bedtime but she STTN and I am not messing with that)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2722045 Sun, 09 Apr 2017 19:05:21 +0000 pachamama 2722045@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My guy was 3 weeks early and 5lb 12oz and we had a very successful BF experience... I am still nursing him once a day at 15 months now. Your routine sounds very time consuming but you should be proud you got as far as you did! You got your tiny off to a great start! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2721838 Sat, 08 Apr 2017 13:55:16 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2721838@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son was a 25 wheeler with severe reflux and was a slow gainer. He was burning too many calories trying to nurse so eventually I gave up trying. I pumped for 11 months... It was definitely sad for me but in the end it was best for him. And there are perks to bottles! Anyone can do feedings and you can sleep longer at night (when pumping slows down.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2721835 Sat, 08 Apr 2017 13:27:01 +0000 Pumuckl 2721835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My twins were only slightly early at 36 weeks but they were only 5lbs and while they nursed from the beginning we did supplement in the beginning after their first take at the breast. Once they had gained weight and were stronger we are able to exclusively breastfeed but it still takes two or three gos, so its feeding, burping, feeding, burping, feeding and final burp and that times two. They are 6 nearly 7 weeks adjusted and I really hope that we'll get to nursing in just one or two sittings (1 sitting = nurse + burp) soon. The only way this currently works is that luckily they were put on a 4h-schedule in NCU and we stuck to that, so there is sometime between feeds. Ultimately my DH and I had decided that we'd see if BF worked out again (I nursed my first two successfully for over a year each) but should it get too much that we'd switch to formula. But so far so good...</p> <p>Hope it'll work out for you soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2721767 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 19:49:21 +0000 MrsSRS 2721767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS was born at 30 weeks. By 35 weeks his feeds were half nursing, half fortified pumped bottles. We slowly dropped bottles as he got bigger and stronger. I don't remember how old he was when he could do all nursing, but it was definitely after his due date. Anyway, we just kept at it, and he nursed until almost 2 and was gigantic.<br /> ETA: just checked Facebook. DS was born in June (due in August) and our first day with no pumping at all was in November. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2721529 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 11:26:50 +0000 psw27 2721529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sillymilly: I think due date is a good benchmark, but every baby is different! I forgot to add that I had to use a shield pretty much always to get my son to latch, I don't know why it helped him and I didn't care about weaning him off of it so I never bothered for the entire 10 months we nursed. Maybe that is something to try too? </p> <p>Good luck, whatever you decide - there is no wrong choice here. A happy mama and a fed baby are the only things that matter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2721527 Fri, 07 Apr 2017 11:21:58 +0000 sillymilly 2721527@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@tiramisu: props to you for sticking with it for that long, especially with the Bradys as they can be so scary! Gives me some hope DD and I can manage to make it work eventually.</p> <p>And thank you to everyone for your encouragement/advice! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720951 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 16:02:53 +0000 Iced Tea 2720951@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO wasn't early but did have significant breastfeeding issues at first. I second the recommendation of an SNS instead of bottle. We were able to overcome our issues and are just now weaning at two years old. Best wishes to you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720940 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 15:42:58 +0000 tiramisu 2720940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sillymilly: Hugs! I know how hard it is. My son was 15 weeks early. We are successfully breastfeeding now but it took a LONG time. Maybe 8 weeks adjusted? There were so many days i wanted to quit and exclusively pump or not even pump at all. He'd choke and turn blue and have bradycardias. It was awful. Im on my pumping break now and have to go back to work but I'll try to chime in more later. Ironically now he nurses great and hates his bottles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720933 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 15:23:14 +0000 Mrs. Pajamas 2720933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sillymilly: My DD was actually late but my milk was super slow to come in and I had a really hard time breastfeeding in the first 2 weeks so we did the try the breast, feed pumped breastmilk in a bottle (sometimes formula), then pump circus and it sucked! But she got the hang of it around 2 weeks after she was born and then we EBF and I breastfed her until 22 months! @yellowbeach just had a preemie and I believe is now nursing since her DD is finally at home and out of the NICU--she may have some tips for you? Good luck, stay strong, and don't beat yourself up like @Mrs. Blue said. Fed is best! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720787 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 12:04:28 +0000 sillymilly 2720787@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@psw27 it's great to hear your son got the hang of it after his due date, which was the original benchmark I was told most babies "get it" by.</p> <p>@mrs. blue thanks :) there are definitely days when I feel like I'm missing out on time with DD and think I'm going to have to reconsider the whole idea of exclusively breastfeeding for 1 year, which I was completely adamant on before her birth. A happy baby and sane mama are what's most important. </p> <p>@catgirl great to hear you had success with this! I tried the special needs feeder to improve her suck without much success, may give this a try. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720764 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 11:27:59 +0000 catgirl 2720764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD was only four weeks early but was an incredibly lazy nurser in the beginning. I used the Medela SNS with pumped milk a lot in the first few weeks. Started with it at every feeding and then just kept dropping one at a time until we weren't using it at all. </p> <p><a href="http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/853/supplemental-nursing-system-sns---sterile" rel="nofollow">http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/853/supplemental-nursing-system-sns---sterile</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720737 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:50:43 +0000 Mrs. Blue 2720737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mine is not a success story, but I want to say if you end up being able to make it work, that's fantastic; and if you end up decided to just use a bottle only . . . that's fantastic. I felt so much guilt and anxiety about my experience and trying to make that decision that I just want you to have a voice telling you that no matter what happens, you do not need to feel any anxiety or guilt. I hope you aren't struggling with that, but I sure did, so I feel compelled to tell everyone that however they feed they're baby, it's "best." </p> <p>Our twins were only born a few weeks early, but they had us start supplementing with formula a few hours after they were born. I never got a good supply established. I was able to nurse, but it meant that we were nursing, then giving them formula. By the time they got home, I was pumping all the time to try to increase my supply and get them off formula, nursing, and still supplementing with formula. I felt like if I didn't get my supply built up where they could be on just BM, that I was setting my kids up for all the "terrible" things that happen as a result of formula (i.e., all the breast is best statistics that people throw out there). Finally, one day around 3 months I realized I was missing out on time playing and snuggling and enjoy my boys because I was killing myself trying to get them fed. After that I decided, if they were sleeping or something and I could pump without missing out on time with them, then I would, but otherwise the 1 oz total I was getting wasn't worth losing the time hanging out with them. Slowly, we just went to formula because I just never could get my supply built up at all. The next kiddo, BFing went great, I had more than enough milk, and there were no issues. All that to say, you have to decide what's best and WHATEVER way you go, you're doing a great job, you're a great mom, and your baby is going to be awesome! </p> <p>It sounds like you probably don't have the supply issues I had, and I know there are several moms on HB that exclusively pumped, so hopefully they'll jump on and give their opinions, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720736 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:48:53 +0000 psw27 2720736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did! My son was born at 34w4d and also had to transition from bottle back to breast. He was very lazy at first and I definitely gave him bottles at every feed in the beginning. I believe my doctor had me nurse him for the first 5-10 minutes and then top him off with a bottle to ensure weight gain. The details are hazy, but I want to say by 3 months (6 weeks adjusted for him) he had the hang of it to the point where I didn't have to do both types of feedings at once. I don't really have any concrete advice except to stick with it if you want to nurse, it does get better as they get bigger, stronger and less sleepy! And if it is too much for you, then that's okay and give yourself some grace to say okay maybe just pump and do bottles exclusively (or formula, whatever works for you!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/successfully-nursing-a-preemie#post-2720724 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:33:32 +0000 sillymilly 2720724@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Has anyone had success fully transitioning their preemie from bottle to breast? If so, at what point did it happen for you? My daughter was born 8 weeks early and required stomach surgery at birth, so she received pumped breastmilk via a bottle during her month long hospital stay once she was able to eat. She's now 14 weeks (6 weeks adjusted) and still hasn't gotten the hang of breastfeeding. She can latch, but won't take a full feeding at the breast. As soon as my milk flow slows down, she quits and wants a bottle. So at every feeding, I'm breastfeeding, giving her a bottle, and then pumping. I've worked with multiple lactation consultants and they say if I keep trying, she should get it, but it's exhausting and incredibly time consuming, and I'm starting to wonder if breastfeeding just isn't in the cards for us. If anyone has some success stories as encouragement, or thinks I should just give up and EP to save my sanity, I'd appreciate it.</p> <p>Thanks! </p>