Hello New here and a Q's

[kiarasam06]

Hey everyone!

I am soooo glad I found this board! I had my baby 6/6/09 at 36 weeks--I went for my 36 weeks check up and my OB said I wasnt measuring right--I was only measuring 32 weeks--so I went the next day the 5th for an u/s and they said he had IUGR----I was induced and had a c sec 6/6/09...he was born 36 wks 4lbs 2 oz and 17.5" He had Pneumothorax which was corrected in about 24 hours with pure O2 thank God! he really hasnt had ne other problems but was in the NICU for 8 days---he left the NICU at 4 lbs 7 oz and we went to the dr today and he weighed in at 4 lbs 13 oz! my question's is this:
He still breaths kinda fast at time--the ped. said it was bc he was young and small and that it should get better with time, but his lungs were fine and no heart mumur----is that normal for him to breath fast at times then slow at time---?? ne one have ne experience with that???
Also I am pumping and feeding him with a bottle, bc I am crazy about how many ML he drinks at a time...sometimes he varies on how much he eats---sometimes he only will drink 30Ml sometimes 55ish...this makes me sooooo nervous...he is gaining weight, but I would love to see him eat 55-60ML all the time at each feeding----he seems to just get really tired eating and it takes a lot of effort to get him to take it---ne advice on this???
I know this is long and I really thank u for reading and commenting...


Tasha

[sbrinton]

I know it is hard to relax after you have had a baby in the NICU. Our middle son was born at 35 weeks and our youngest at 31. I remember worrying a lot the first few weeks they were home. They were tiny and although they were both breathing well long before they came home, I thought about it constantly.

It did get better...they kept on eating and growing and I got used to their breathing. Yes, it's normal for it to be a little faster or slower at times, or for them to even take a quick pause and then resume breathing.

Is there a reason you are not breastfeeding? It's great your baby is getting your breastmilk by bottle, but you are most likely at a point you could also work on breastfeeding. If you are worried about how much the baby is able to get, you can weigh him before and after each feeding.

Personally, I would go crazy doing this. While we were still in the hospital, the nurses went to weighing Zephan and Micah just once a day once we were breastfeeding on demand. When I went home, we weighed Zephan weekly for a few months, and then just 1-2 times a month, and now every 3 months. The other thing to pay attention to is wet diapers.

It's normal for a preemie to be sleepy at first, especially until they are to about 3-4 weeks after their due date. Babies seem to wake up at that point. I would try to keep life really simple and give your little one plenty of time to really rest between feedings. Whether this is sleeping in a crib (good) or sleeping on you in a moby or doing kangaroo care (even better), he will need to sleep a lot to have energy to eat.