Preemie Babies Weight Gain

The premature birth of a tiny newborn can be stressful enough for parents, and one of the biggest concerns is preemie babies weight gain and getting that precious bundle to an all important weight to finally go home.

In a modern age of birth miracles, it is not a shock to hear of infants that are born pre-term weighing as little or less than two pounds in weight. Even at twenty-four weeks gestation, babies are increasingly surviving, albeit at frail and exceptionally low birth weights. The good news is that these tiny infants are surviving with the help and support of neonatal units and the specialist equipment and highly skilled staff that are there to help the arrival of a tiny newborn run as smoothly as possible.

For many new parents, the disappointment of not being able to take a precious newborn home on the day of delivery is distressing and frustrating. A high percentage of preemie babies are classed as 'low birth weight', which means that they are likely to be more dependent of nutritional support in the days following the birth. Dependant on the degree of prematurity, some infants need just a few days in the baby unit, whereas others who are born much earlier may face weeks, if not months, building up the independence and strength to face the outside world.

Preemie babies feeding regimes will be closely monitored, documented and adjusted over the initial stages of life, and parents must accept the advice of the medical experts when it comes to feeding schedules. These schedules are often calculated mathematically to offer the baby gradual yet sufficient nutritional intake to gain the required weight in order to 'catch up' with that of a term baby. All babies lose a small amount of weight in the few days following birth, and the same applies to preemies. This is a commonly known fact which parents should not be alarmed about.

Preemie babies weight gain will undoubtedly be slow at first, but by the time a preemie infant is strong enough to go home and has established a good baseline feeding schedule, then it will be no time before she has reached her predicted birth weight. Parents can worry too much about the harm they may inflict on an infant that is so tiny and has so little flesh on his or her tiny bones, but surprisingly a preemie infant will be hardier than parents think and can be handled the same as a term baby. In fact, cuddles can be enjoyed just the same.

When deciding to feed from the breast, moms often worry about the ability to feed and nourish a preemie infant in line with the requirements. The important thing to remember is that breastfed infants receive all the nourishment they require from breast milk. Therefore, issues such as fortifying the milk are not of concern to moms who breastfeed, whereas preemie infants who are bottle fed may require nutritional supplements for a short time following birth. Supplementation, if required at all, will be organized by the pediatric team, and fortunately parents can just enjoy their infant without the need to worry about ensuring nutritional needs are met or about preemie babies weight gain.

Preemie infants are weighed daily; therefore, close monitoring ensures that feedings can be tapered accordingly. Parents have the ultimate choice regarding the method of feeding, and in the case of formula fed infants, what type of formula is used. In the early days, things may feel overwhelming, and the baby unit will provide feedings for infants as required, so there is no need to worry about preparing formula and sterlizing bottles. This will all be done by the care staff.

Parents of preemies often experience a distinct feeling of vulnerability when they first take their infant home from the preemie unit. This is, however, perfectly natural. Infants are not sent home unless they are entirely safe in respect of medical and nutritional needs. Therefore when it comes to worries such as preemie babies weight gain, it is a fact that all the hard work has been done, and on going home it is just a case of establishing a routine that fits in with the family, ensuring that baby is weighed at regular intervals to monitor his or her progress.

In the months following birth, it is great to finally see a preemie infant gaining some body fat. Before long, parents begin to realize that their preemie infants are as cute and cuddly as those infants born on time. It is certainly worth the wait!

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