My third child was born at 34 weeks weighing 5lbs 2oz 17.25in.
She is now after three days in the regular NICU in the "progressive care nursery" portion of the NICU.
Day one they were concerned about her blood sugar but that quickly corrected itself.
She has had no jaundice. Didn't need to be under the heat lamps for any significant period of time. No breathing problems. No blood pressure problems. She has not been on any monitors since day five at which point we found out her O2 monitor was only left on for the nurse not because they were worried about anything for the previous two days.
She has a gavage tube because she won't stay awake long enough to eat.
I have no experience with NICUs even though my first child was born (albeit 12 year ago at a different hospital) at 35 weeks - 5lbs 10oz. 17in. An hour under the heat lamps. A little jaundice on day two that was cured by doctor prescribed sitting in the sunny window - he was never in the NICU.
I am being told that she doesn't have the strength to suck hard enough to nurse. I am pumping enough for two days now that she is fed all breastmilk but they are mixing it with HMF.
Today she nursed for a bit and actually got 10 ML we think (used the gavage tube to see what was in her tummy).
She is fed 41 ML every three hours. They try and bottle feed as much of it as possible until she tuckers out. The rest is given via gavage.
She was born on 2/13. They tell us she will be here for a couple weeks.
I have no idea if this is normal, necessary, etc. I wonder if she was at home if I couldn't just nurse her more frequently.
I don't know who to ask for unbiased advice.
I want her to come home but I want her to be healthy of course.
She is now after three days in the regular NICU in the "progressive care nursery" portion of the NICU.
Day one they were concerned about her blood sugar but that quickly corrected itself.
She has had no jaundice. Didn't need to be under the heat lamps for any significant period of time. No breathing problems. No blood pressure problems. She has not been on any monitors since day five at which point we found out her O2 monitor was only left on for the nurse not because they were worried about anything for the previous two days.
She has a gavage tube because she won't stay awake long enough to eat.
I have no experience with NICUs even though my first child was born (albeit 12 year ago at a different hospital) at 35 weeks - 5lbs 10oz. 17in. An hour under the heat lamps. A little jaundice on day two that was cured by doctor prescribed sitting in the sunny window - he was never in the NICU.
I am being told that she doesn't have the strength to suck hard enough to nurse. I am pumping enough for two days now that she is fed all breastmilk but they are mixing it with HMF.
Today she nursed for a bit and actually got 10 ML we think (used the gavage tube to see what was in her tummy).
She is fed 41 ML every three hours. They try and bottle feed as much of it as possible until she tuckers out. The rest is given via gavage.
She was born on 2/13. They tell us she will be here for a couple weeks.
I have no idea if this is normal, necessary, etc. I wonder if she was at home if I couldn't just nurse her more frequently.
I don't know who to ask for unbiased advice.
I want her to come home but I want her to be healthy of course.
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