Every expectant mother hopes that they will carry the pregnancy to full term and deliver a healthy baby. However, this is not always the case. According to statistics, approximately one in ten babies in the United States are born preterm or before 37 weeks gestation. This amounts to about 360,000 preterm babies born each year.
Preemie infant feeding can become a big challenge considering the children are often not strong enough to suckle. Even when they could, you may need to complement the mother’s milk with baby formula to ensure the baby gets all the nutrients it needs in its initial developmental stage.
But before you put your preemie on baby formula, here are five things you should know with respect to preemie infant feeding.
Preemie Infant Feeding: 5 Things To Know About Baby Formula
Breast Milk Is the Best
Baby formula should never be the first option for nourishment for preemies. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies get nourishment from the mother’s breast milk in the first months of their lives, which also applies to preemies.
This is important because breast milk has all the nutrients a baby needs to grow and develop properly. It also helps protect the baby from infections and other diseases because of its immune-boosting properties.
In situations where the child cannot suckle on their own, a mother may need to pump her milk and use it to feed the baby through the means recommended by the doctor, which can include a direct tube into the stomach. There are situations where the doctor may recommend adding fortifiers derived from human milk to boost the calories and nutrient levels, depending on the child’s requirements.
They Are a Good Alternative
If breast milk is not an option, for whatever reason, the doctor will recommend a special formula for preemies. Unlike full-term babies, preemies will have an underdeveloped digestive system that cannot properly digest regular baby formulas.
They will also have a higher requirement of calories and nutrients than a full-term baby, factors that are a consideration when creating their formulas. Often the doctors will start the babies on a small amount of the formula and increase it as the baby gets stronger and responds to the feeding regimen.
Post-Discharge Formula
Preemies often stay at the hospital for weeks until they become significantly independent, after which they will be discharged. While at the hospital, the doctors and the healthcare providers will be mainly responsible for ensuring that your child gets the baby formula that is best for them, a responsibility that shifts to the parent upon discharge.
In most cases, the doctor will transition the infant from the starter formula to a discharge formula and recommend what formulas to use on your child.
Doctors will almost always not have any vested interests in a baby formula company, so you can be sure that their recommendations will be non-biased and worth following.
Some Formulas Have Been Linked to an Increased Risk of Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)
According to a recent study, some popular brands of cow milk-based preterm infant baby formulas have been seen to increase the chances of preterm infants developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC).
Following the study, many parents of infants suffering from NEC have filed baby formula lawsuits against the producers of these formulas. If your preterm baby has been diagnosed with NEC after using cow-based baby formula, consider talking to a product liability lawyer to help you pursue justice.
Preemie Infant Feeding Routine
When a child is in their mother’s womb, they get continuous nourishment from their mother. This continued nourishment is vital in the initial phases of life as it is the phase where development occurs rapidly.
In the event of a premature birth keeping up with the demand for nourishment can be a big challenge, and you cannot dump all the food at once. The ideal approach would be feeding your child small portions at three-hour intervals.
You also need to recognize that every child is unique, so do not force food on them because it can trigger other problems, such as feeding aversion or GERD.
Final Words On Preemie Infant Feeding
Providing proper nourishment for preemies can be a daunting task for any parent. But it doesn’t have to be as difficult for you as you now know vital things about baby formulas for preemies, from the best option (breast milk) to when and how to switch to different formulas.
