Feeding a premature baby is harder than you think. It requires a lot of patience and skill.
Before I fed my first preemie, I didn’t realize there was a special way to feed them. I assumed that all babies were fed the same, but boy was I WRONG!
In the NICU, we teach parents to feed their preemies in the “side lying” position. This enables the baby to regulate the flow of milk into his/her mouth. The milk pools in the cheek pocket, allowing the baby to swallow the volume of milk that he/she can tolerate.
I’m sure this position is the opposite of what you would think, but it’s actually the safest and most effective technique for these little ones. Because premature infants have underdeveloped airways, pharynges and might still be experiencing respiratory distress, they have a hard time coordinating sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Therefore, when the baby is turned onto his/her side and the parent supports the head and neck, this is the most optimal position for the baby. Some of the more uncoordinated babies may even require cheek & chin support to help them latch onto the nipple better to form a tighter seal.
Bottle feeding is a form of exercise for a preemie and can make them extremely tired and fatigued. Therefore, frequent burping and breathing breaks are essential for a successful feed.
In addition to educating parents about positioning their baby, we also teach them how to hold the bottle horizontally in order to fill the nipple halfway with milk. If the baby drinks too much milk at once, this can lead to coughing, choking, aspirating, spelling, etc.
ATTENTION NICU PARENTS
It is important to not get discouraged if your baby does not drink all of his/her milk initially. It is a learning experience for the both of you. You want this to be a positive, safe, and enjoyable experience so that they want to do it again, and again, and again! Do NOT force your baby to take the whole bottle and stress him/her out. The goal is to help your baby to achieve competent feeding skills for a lifetime!
