A Guide to Premature Nutrition
If your baby was born early, he may have some special needs when it comes to nutrition. Here are some things you may want to know.
Most premature babies have increased nutritional needs.
If a baby is too premature to breastfeed, Moms can still pump their milk. While in hospital, doctors may recommend adding a commercially prepared breast milk fortifier, to give your baby the extra protein, vitamins, calcium and other nutrients he needs at this early stage. If you can't pump or breastfeed, or choose not to, or if you supplement your breast milk with formula, you can feel confident about the specially designed formulas available for premature infants. When your baby leaves the hospital, talk to your baby’s doctor about infant formulas with extra calories, protein, vitamins and minerals, for low birth weight or premature babies.
Premature babies may have more feeding challenges than full term babies.
Chances are, his feeding skills haven't fully developed yet. This means he’ll be slow to feed, or else he may feed too fast and spit up or develop a feeding aversion. But there are some things you can try to help:
- Babies who are tube-fed are often given pacifiers. This will help him to learn to feed from a nipple for when he's ready to switch over from the tube.
- Record his feedings, so you can keep track of his spit ups and how much he's keeping down.
- Monitor his progress with growth charts from the doctor.
- Try to keep him on a sleep schedule.
- Make sure he's fully awake before feeding.
- Be aware of his signs, so you know when he's full or tired.
- Slowly introduce solids when he is developmentally ready.
Premature babies may need to eat more frequently.
Premature babies will need to eat every 3 hours, and sometimes more often. Please contact your baby’s doctor for any premature feeding.
