A mom called me today and asked me to post her situation (she is also a
Nursing Mothers Counselor). Infant born at 25 weeks gestation first NG tube
fed EBM then kangaroo care and breastfeeding with a nipple shield. Now at 9.5
months old she is totally breastfed. This baby is currently recovering from a
bout with RSV for which she was hospitalized and mom BF throughout. In Dec.
baby weighed 10 lbs. 10 oz.
Now baby weighs 10lbs. 5oz. There is now a concern about this weight loss but
Dr. will wait til 2/18 when baby has her neonatal followup visit in
Philadelphia. Also, BM's have gone from once a week to now 7x a day and color
is bright neon yellow. Final concern is hemoglobin count is 8.9 and baby may
need a transfusion. Mom's concern is that they may keep baby in hospital
after her next checkup and go back to ng tube feeds to increase weight She
would like to know if there are any studies that support her desire to
continue to use only breastmilk (she still has 105 oz. in freezer) She has
never used formula and does not want to start now. She would like to gather
this info before facing the docs. Despite breastfeeding, baby is highly
orally defensive and will not take bottle or other alternatives. Mom has SNS
but afraid it might turn baby away from BFing because of tube. Right now she
will rent a baby checker scale to monitor intake and also try to increase
feeds as much as possible. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
Robin B. Frees BA, IBCLC Malvern PA