Thursday, 7 August 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.

There are some food supplements that are usually fed to the babies who have a problem absorbing the nutrients from the food they take. The preterm newborns also miss out on some of the nutrients that usually administered to the babies during the last stages of pregnancy. These supplements can also help to give them these nutrients.

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 babies who are however born when they are mature enough to digest food but they cannot co-ordinate the sucking, breathing and swallowing of milk during breast feeding. This is done with the use of a soft tube that is directed to the stomach through the nose or the mouth. It is done until the baby learns to suckle milk.

However, giving birth to a baby prematurely should not be a reason for a mother to stop producing milk. The stress and fatigue that comes with these newborns can affect the milk production in a woman. This will affect the baby when they are mature enough to start feeding on milk. It is therefore important to exercise patience and boost your health as you wait for the baby to grow.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment