Feeding preterm infants in the neonatal period is critical. This task is quite difficult, because these children[ru] reduced tolerance to food. In addition, infants with severe prematurity are not only unable to take the breast, but also to suck from a bottle or pipette due to the immaturity of the sucking reflex. The difficulty lies in the fact that, along with low stamina to food there is an increased need for it. Such a child with an initial weight of 1800 g doubles its weight to 3 months, and 6 months to triple it. The rapid growth of these children require a lot more protein and minerals.
If the child takes the breast, it is applied to the chest. Since children tire quickly sucking, they should be applied to the chest of 3 to 5 times a day, then finish feeding with expressed breast milk from a bottle with a spoon, a pipette. If a child can not suck, then it is fed with a spoon, a pipette or a catheter, which should be entered only through the mouth 6-7 times a day. At ‘feeding a premature baby should gradually move from one mode to the other, more natural, from spoons to the pipette, and then to the dummy. When you see a good sucking movements can be applied to the child’s chest.
With a lack of breast milk from the mother’s best doctors[ru] are Expressed donor breast milk, diluted yogurt, infant formula. With poor weight gain is usually a mixture of enriched protein preparations: 2-4% aqueous cream, rubbed a few times (1/2 – 1 teaspoon of the bottle). Give to drink boiled water, 5% glucose solution. Cream of wheat and vegetables (pureed) usually begin to 4 months of life. Porridge cooked first 5%-ing. Children with signs of exudative diathesis useful semolina tenderize not on the water, and the vegetable broth, and then add the milk and let boil 2-3.
Starting with a 5-month diet can be supplemented with egg yolk. The yolk is recommended to give boiled for 1/4 – 1/2 tsp (add to mush).
First feeding preterm infants can begin within 6-8 hours after birth.
AF Tours recommends a feeding scheme in the first week of life: the initial weight of the child up to 1000 g – 10-15 feedings per day, with a weight of a child from 1000 to 1500 g – 10-12 feedings per day, with a weight of 1500 – 2000 – 8-11 feedings and weighs 2,000-2,500 g – 7-8 feedings.
