Good friend just delivered at 32 weeks

[Shonahsmom]

A good friend of mine e0mailed me this morning saying she was having some bloody show and steady contractions and that she was off to the hospital. Another friend e-mailed me less than three hours later to tell me that she had birthed her baby son. She text messaged that her son is 4.5 lbs and perfect but I do not know any other details.

I am far away and am not even sure when I will speak to her next, but what can she expect with a 32 week old preemie and what can I do to help her from across the country?

I know she was very committed to nursing, but does not have a lot of support around her. What can she do from the get go to ensure a successful nursing relationship, especially if there are any complications?

[Quirky]

Help her find a lactation consultant ASAP! Maybe you can call around and get information on rates, experience, etc. for her. Here's a link to the IBCLC registry: http://www.iblce.org/us_regional_registry.htm She needs to get professional help immediately.

Here is some good information:

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...p-preemie.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bookstore/bf/preemie.html

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/bf_st...ght_01-03.html

Also, do a search in Finding Your Tribe - there was a thread for premature babies, I think. Getting Started would also have good threads - search on premature or preemie. You might also cross-post a thread there.

[Justice2]

Hello. I am the mother of a 32 weeker. She was 3 lbs 13 oz. And, like that of your friend, absolutely perfect. She was IV fed for 5 days and then tube fed for 5 days and then they let me feed her. Your friend will probably need to pump, to try to establish a supply, as sucking makes preemies loose weight (hence the IV and tube feedings). Justice was in the hospital 14 days. Never required oxygen. She weighed 4lbs 1/4 oz when they let me bring her home. Good Luck to your friend. Preemies are incredibly special babies!!

[Rach]

I agree with Justice2. She'll need to pump to establish her supply. She might not be allowed to breastfeed so soon, since preemies often don't know how to suck/swallow. My daughter was 4lbs 7oz at birth and didn't know how to eat. They managed to get her to take a bottle, but she wouldn't take the breast for a couple of days. Finally we figured it out, it was hard, but we did it!
I recommend she be there for the baby as often as she can, talking, singing, reading to the baby. As much physical touch she can give would be wonderful!
Good luck to her! I hope the baby is out of the hospital very quickly!

[Justice2]

Also, tell your friend to ask about Kangaroo Care. Preemies have incredible success with this (simply skin to skin - mom nude from waist up and baby in diaper only). This will also help her milk to come in.

[Shonahsmom]

Thanks all for the advice.

The links are great!

I finally spoke with her this morning. Her babe is breathing completely on his own. She is pumping and has a meeting with the Lactation consultant today. She did have to ask about 20 times for a pump and actually had a nurse tell her not to worry about pumping for a few days; that there was no need to pump until her milk came in... duh!!

Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to reply.

[edamommy]

Baylor is a 33-34 weeker born at high altitude

so he's comaparable to a 31-32 weeker at sea level. He was 4.6lbs. His lungs were very immature (like little rocks they said) and he had problems keeping his temp warm enough. I didn't see him for 3 days as he was airlifted down to Denver from our mountain hospital and I was recovering from my surgery. To ensure breastfeeding my husband followed him there and stayed with him. We made sure there were NO artificial nipples. NO formula. No paci's. He was gavaged (tube fed) donor breastmilk until my milk came in and then he was gavaged mine. When we were reunited in the nicu after 48 hrs. I had to pump as he would tire from breastfeeding. So every two-three hours I would breastfeed him for 10minutes then he would get the rest via feed tube.

I think persistance on our part (about no nipples, etc.) helped him breastfeed and proved to the medical staff that we were not accepting any alternatives.

Baylor was expected to gain a lb a month after that. He's still a little guy weighing in at 18.9lbs at one year and 31 1/2 inches long. But, he's met all his milestones and after 3initial months on oxygen, is healthy as can be. I don't think a sealevel babe would have to be on oxygen at all.

I wish your friend the best!
Kimberley

[mollyeilis]

We have friends who had their baby around that week, and I have to say I'm not sure about this: "there was no need to pump until her milk came in".

It would be GREAT for baby to have the colostrum pumped and given to it, to get all those nice antibodies that baby can't get any other way. I know our friends were pumping (OK the mom was LOL) from the get-go, and they were feeding baby the colostrum as soon as they could.

Just my 2 cents!

[oceanbaby]

He's still a little guy weighing in at 18.9lbs at one year

Just wanted to say that my ds was full term (8lbs at birth), and that's about what he weighed at one year too. Good job!

[Shonahsmom]

Originally Posted by mollyeilis

We have friends who had their baby around that week, and I have to say I'm not sure about this: "there was no need to pump until her milk came in".

It would be GREAT for baby to have the colostrum pumped and given to it, to get all those nice antibodies that baby can't get any other way. I know our friends were pumping (OK the mom was LOL) from the get-go, and they were feeding baby the colostrum as soon as they could.

Just my 2 cents!

That was what I meant when I wrote "duh", as in duh at the nurse who made that stupid comment.

I feel so badly for her right now. The baby is doing really well, but she is having such a hard time with all of the inconsistent and questionable info she is getting from various nurses and doctors.

They are also not "allowing" her to breastfeed. They want to "measure" every ounce he takes in. Can't they just weigh him immediately before and immediately after nursing? And monitor diapers?

She told me this in an e-mail. I plan to talk to her in a few hours. I know her mind is in a million dofferent places right now. I want to offer her info without making her feel pressured regarding breastfeeding. I know she was so committed to nursing, but I feel like she is getting incorrect info from the nurses. I want to make sure she has the support and information she needs without overwhelming her. Any suggestions?

[mollyeilis]

Oh, OK. Whew!

Well, I know that our friend wasn't allowed to actually nurse the baby, but they had her pumping every spare minute of the day. And then they would feed the baby the pumped EBM as soon as they could.

They wouldn't let the baby leave until she was either nursing or taking a bottle well. I'm thinking now that baby was born at 28 weeks, and she ended up in the NICU for about 2 months. The last couple weeks were almost entirely dedicated to getting breastfeeding down; the baby physically couldn't do it before.

So, compared to our friends' experience, it sounds like this baby is in a hospital that isn't quite as breastfeeding friendly as Brooklyn was, but if the mom sticks to her guns (pumps, bugs them every day about nursing, insists that they feed her the EBM, and so on) she could be successful. I was reading *somewhere* that some LLL leaders will come to NICUs to advocate for moms that want to breastfeed; perhaps that's an avenue she could explore?

[Quirky]

Does she have an IBCLC? If not, she really, really, really needs one! This person will be working for her and her baby, not trying to make her and her baby fit into the hospital routine of what suits the doctors and nurses best. IMO most NICU MDs and RNs are woefully ignorant of how to make sure breastfeeding succeeds.

The best thing you could do for her is help her find an IBCLC! You could call around and find one for her who has experience with preemies and best case has worked in this hospital before. One who is an MD or RN would carry more clout with the medical staff as well. Although it will cost money, it will probably be cheaper than formula (and the sickness that goes along with formula!).

Please, please help her get an IBCLC! This hospital sounds TERRIBLE!