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Originally Posted by momuveight2B
 Thank you for all the sweet thoughts. It means a lot to me. If anyone has experience with NICU or breastfeeding a baby with Down's Syndrome please pm.
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HUGS TO YOU!!! I know first hand how tough it is having a baby in NICU, esp. when you were not expecting anything to be wrong to begin with. My 2 1/2yr old was in the NICU for 3 months after his birth and was also on a vent and could not eat.
Ask for a Speech Therapist or someone who can come by and evaluate his suck, swallow, breathe pattern to see what, if any, can be done to get him to eat. You may have to pump and give a bottle so they can evaluate this. They can watch to see if he swallows correctly, you don't want him aspirating as it can lead to pneumonia. They may already have him on IV feeds, called TPN. I called it "pee in a bag", since that's what it looked like to me. If they evaluation does not go well they may use the TPN for a little longer although it is rough on the veins, then they may opt for a feeding tube via his nose. (NG tube)
Just keep talking to him, caress him, kiss his face so he knows you are there. Watch the monitor, his heart rate will rise and you know he realizes you are there. Massage his cheeks lightly with even strokes on both sides, offer a pacifier to help facilate sucking. We cut the pacifier to fit around the vent and it worked like a charm and that taught our son to keep on doing the suck, swallow, breathe. It comes naturally for most but over time they would forget. Some are just too weak.
Please keep us updated and your son is in our prayers and we pray for you and your family to keep up your strength. Try to stay positive as he will feed that off of you!
