Breast milk is the recommended nutrition for premature babies.<\/a>\u00a0Which are thriving well.<\/p>\nBreastfeeding: There is no need to weigh yourself before and after breastfeeding \u2013 the outcome test is the determining factor (whether the baby is thriving well \u2013 according to growth monitoring indicators). If necessary, it is possible and advisable to consult with a certified lactation consultant with experience with premature babies.<\/p>\n
Pumping: You can continue to pump breast milk at home. There is information on this topic in the Lahav brochure.<\/p>\n
In special cases, instructions will be given upon discharge to enrich breast milk with a special supplement (HMF \u2013 human milk fortifier). It should be taken into account that this supplement is expensive and currently most health funds do not provide participation, so it is worth comparing prices before purchasing.<\/p>\n
What if my baby is not breastfed?<\/h2>\n
Premature infants whose weight is appropriate for their corrected age, who are thriving well and who do not require special recommendations, can be fed regular infant formula.<\/p>\n
For premature babies who are discharged with a weight that is not appropriate for their corrected age or who need supplementation for other reasons (for example, bone health), it is recommended to use a special follow-up formula for premature babies after discharge. After several months of follow-up in Tiptet Halav, the attending physician should assess together whether there is still a need to continue using follow-up formula or whether it is possible to switch to formula for a full-term baby.<\/p>\n
Recommendations for other special formulas are usually given before discharge according to various health conditions (premature infants after gastrointestinal surgery, allergies, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also known to parents as "reflux", increased nutritional needs due to heart defects\/chronic lung diseases, metabolic diseases, and more).<\/p>\n
How much should my baby eat at home? (Breast milk\/fortified breast milk\/formula)<\/h2>\n
The amounts eaten vary greatly between premature babies and even between different times of the day. Although there are recommended average amounts that your child should eat according to professional literature, it should be remembered that these amounts are based on a large population and there are large ranges and variations between babies and certainly between premature babies. The ability of a premature baby to eat together with the "outcome test" (the indicators of growth, development, and vitality of a premature baby) - are the determining factors.<\/p>\n
When there are no longer any special recommendations regarding feeding times (feeding every 3-4 hours, etc.), you can "feed on demand." To this end, it is worth starting to get to know your child's hunger and satiety signals. This stage may be accompanied by concerns, since it is a stage in which control over quantities is transferred from the parent to the baby.<\/p>\n
Giving the meal when hunger signals begin, and stopping the meal when the baby shows signs of satiety (stopping eating, turning his head away from the bottle\/breast, trying to move away from the bottle\/breast).<\/p>\n
In order to reduce concerns, regular weight monitoring can be conducted at a clinic\/milk drop\/with the help of a dietitian. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to whether the baby is vital, responsive, and there is no significant decrease in the need to change diapers.<\/p>\n
I feel like the baby is not eating enough, what should I do?<\/h2>\n
First, it should be emphasized that feeding against the baby's will is not recommended and may even lead to undesirable results.<\/p>\n
If there is concern about the amount of food eaten and\/or the growth rate, it is recommended to contact a doctor and ask to consult with a dietitian to diagnose the difficulty, receive feeding instructions or nutritional intervention such as the Tens and closer growth monitoring.<\/p>\n
In situations where feeding difficulties persist, you can consult with a multidisciplinary team specializing in this subject (feeding clinics). For this purpose, it is worth requesting a referral from your pediatrician.<\/p>\n
How will I know if my child is gaining enough weight and when is my child expected to catch up in growth?<\/p>\n
To monitor the growth of premature babies, we use growth curves (or, as they are commonly known, "percentiles") of full-term babies corrected for age. Often, certainly in the early stages, the growth trend and rate of progress are more important to us than comparison to the rest of the population.<\/p>\n
Most premature infants will catch up in growth rate (weight, length\/height) with their chronological peers by around two years of age. At this age, we will also stop correcting their age when placing growth indices on growth curves. If catch-up growth rate is not achieved by two years of age, it is worth starting counseling and monitoring on this issue and checking with the pediatrician whether counseling and monitoring by an endocrinologist is necessary on this issue.<\/p>\n
Food tasting\/presentation of complementary foods<\/h2>\n
For premature babies, the guideline to start food tastings by age is often not relevant. Tastings are started by corrected age rather than chronological age.<\/p>\n
It is not recommended to replace a breastfed\/formula meal before the corrected age of 6 months. Tastings are limited to up to 2 teaspoons a day (you can use your finger, a teaspoon is not required), in the morning\/afternoon, each new food separately and at least 3 times before being sure there is no allergic reaction (if several foods are given at the same time and there is an allergic reaction, we will not know which of the foods the reaction should be attributed to!).<\/p>\n
When there are no contraindications, the signs of readiness for tasting are:<\/p>\n
Head control (when the baby is held by the parent\/caregiver, the head does not swing, the head and upper back are stable).<\/p>\n
Bringing your hands to your mouth, reaching for an object and putting it in your mouth.<\/p>\n
Expressing curiosity, exploration, and interest in eating when food is brought near the baby using the parent\/caregiver's fingers.<\/p>\n
The baby is able to move the food in his mouth from side to side.<\/p>\n
For premature babies with special medical or developmental needs, it is important to consult with the medical and paramedical staff before starting to introduce complementary foods.<\/p>\n
In conclusion<\/h2>\n
Eating is a major part of caring for infants in general and the premature population in particular. It is natural for a parent of a premature baby to need professional guidance on this sensitive issue. Please make sure that, if necessary, you receive all the assistance you need so that you can provide the best nutrition and appropriate eating environment for your premature baby.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During hospitalization in the premature infant hospital, you received new instructions for feeding your children every day, depending on their health status and their ability, according to the doctors' instructions. After discharge, the follow-up is not as close as in the premature infant hospital. The needs and abilities of premature infants are very different from each other, and therefore there are no blanket instructions that are correct for all discharged premature infants, but there are guidelines that can be very helpful and reduce [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-72"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3465\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pagim.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}