Monday, August 4, 2014

Ways Of Feeding Premature Babies

By Annabelle Holman


Newborns that are brought into the world too early require a lot of attention because of their gentle nature. It is typically difficult for them to feed like other infants because they have below par development of body parts. Feeding premature babies can be hard mainly if their gastric system is not mature. There are some infants who get born before their delivery time but the doctors trust they are mature enough to handled normally but some require extra attention.

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 methods that can be used to feed the babies who are born too prematurely. An example is through the use of an IV line. This is a tube that is put directly into the stomach and is used to add the nutrients the child needs directly to the blood. This can be done for hours or even days depending on how premature the child is.

There are preterm infants whose gastric systems are usually okay but the problem comes during the feeding time. They are normally too premature that they lack the ability to suckle in milk and swallow as they respire at a similar instant. These kinds of infants can be fed using a soft pipe that is put through the nose or mouth till they learn how 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 usually the best type of food babies can have thus it is highly endorsed by neonatologists. It usually has enough nourishment to improve their well-being and build their power and also shields them from catching bacteria and viruses. It normally has antibodies that improve the resistance of the child to diseases. It is also very easy to digest as compared to other 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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