Re: preemie-l From Dana: Help!! (fwd)

Tracy Peters (0005386491@mcimail.com)
Thu, 30 May 96 22:07 EST 

Oh the joys of feeding a preemie.  Sara was almost exactly as you describe
your daughter and I swear the more we tried to "trick" her into eating
the less (or at least the more stubborn) she would eat.  There were
days during her first 6 months at home that she only consumed a TOTAL
of 9 1/2 ounces in a 24 hour period.  I am frankly surprised that she
didn't starve and that I am not in the loony bin!!

By all means try...but follow your instincts.  If you and she are getting
stressed out, nothing is going to work.  Sara is now almost 3 years
old and still doesn't eat a whole lot - she does eat incredibly well
in terms of quantity.  Despite all of the agony over formula consumption,
she is a bright, funny, normal little girl with no long term side effects
of neither her 25 wk/15 oz beginnings nor her lack of excitement over
formula.  

I was extremely lucky that my peds were just so impressed that she
was alive and following the growth curve (not on the chart but the
slope was the same, so she was growing at the right rate) that they
really let me make decisions regarding what was and was not working.

Good luck.

Tracy 
Mom to Sara (25 wks/445gms)





Date:     Thu May 30, 1996 09:23 pm EDT
From:     Gary Hardy
          EMS: INTERNET / MCI ID: 376-5414
          MBX: garyh@yarra.vicnet.net.au
 
TO:       preemie l
          EMS: INTERNET / MCI ID: 376-5414
          MBX: preemie-l@yarra.vicnet.net.au
BCC:    * Tracy Peters / MCI ID: 538-6491
Subject:  preemie-l From Dana: Help!! (fwd)
 


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 30 May 1996 12:25:15 -0500 (EST)
From: Dana Lee Ann Mobley <lamobley@indiana.edu>
To: preemie-l@vicnet.net.au
Subject: Help!!

Hi everyone!!

I need some help/advice on preemie feeding/eating.  I took my daughter 
Taylor Ann (born at 24 weeks, weighing 1 pound, 8 oz.) to her 
pediatrician yesterday for a weight check.  In a two week period she went
from 8 pds., 4 oz. to 8 pds., 11 oz.  Originally the doctor wanted us to let
her sleep through the night (she'd be in bed by 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. and 
wouldn't get up until 5:00 or 6:00 the next morning).  Her daily intake 
would be between 9-12 ounces a day (taking 2 1/2 - 3 ounces every four 
hours).  So he asked us to go to every 3 hours to get an extra feeding 
in.  Now he has asked us to feed her every 2 - 2 1/2 hours trying to get her
intake to 24 ounces a day, but still letting her sleep at least 6-8 hours 
a day.  How in the world I will be able to do this is beyond me.  She 
took 1 1/2 this morning at 4:30, then again at 7:00, 10:00, and 12:00.  Even
if she keeps this up until 10:00 this evening, she still will only be 
getting around 15 ounces.  I feel so helpless!!  Is there anything else 
that I'm supposed to be doing???

Thanks in advance for any help that you can give!!

Lee Ann Mobley (mother of Taylor Ann Mobley, born 10/26/95 - 24 weeks 
gestation, weighing 1 lb., 8 oz.)