My ex-preemie was cleared to nurse on demand. So happy!
A little history. Our son was born last April at 29+5 weeks by emergency C section due to a huge bleed (placenta praevia). He spent until the beginning of June at the NICU and has now been home for 3 weeks, his adjusted age is just over a week now.I wanted to breastfeed him, as I breastfed our first son too. It was also recommended by our doctors because breastmilk can help prevent preemies from getting certain complications. So I pumped. I started a couple hours after giving birth and I pumped 8 times a day for about 2 months. I had enough production after a couple of days to feed my son (he wasn’t eating a lot yet) and was able to get my supply to a good level in a couple of weeks. I pumped at night,at home, in the Ronald McDonald house, and in the NICU next to my sons incubator. I pumped through his transfer to a higher level NICU because he contracted meningitis. I found a way to work with my elastic nipples. I had help from the hospitals lactation consultants and of course my husband.At 35 weeks a huge milestone. Our son could start drinking from bottles and the breast. (Previously he received all his milk through a NG tube.) We are so lucky that he took to feeding immediately. The nurses were amazed by the volume he started to drink and he hardly ever choked.At almost 38 weeks our son was ready to come home. The day before discharge it was decided his NG tube could come out entirely. It was stressful; what if he wouldn’t drink enough? To increase the tension his discharge was during a big heat wave. He surprised all of us again! He started drinking way more than the minimum and nursed for most feedings without difficulty.Yesterday I did weighted feedings all day. He’s grown over a pound in the last 10 days. Today I spoke to our lactation consultant again. She thinks he’s ready to completely nurse on demand.I’m so proud of what we achieved together. I completely understand that many moms are unable or unwilling to go this route with a preemie because it’s not easy. But it is what we decided to aim for and we did it! via /r/breastfeeding https://ift.tt/NyHUGbQ