gaining weight, updated

Update on pg2! warning - its very long  

sorry jus noticed my sp, i meant IUGR

I'm not a doctor and haven't had any children yet... but I would say if your doctor isn't worried then you shouldn't be either.

I'm glad that he's started to put on weight, that's great.

Again though, I would talk to the doctor about your concerns. He/she might be able to explain things better to you and be able to put your mind at ease.

I had my son at 29 weeks as well. he wasn't growing the way he should due to IUGR as well. he was born 2 lbs 3 oz and 14 inches long. he dropped down to under 2 lbs and then started gaining in the nicu they say thats completely normal. He's 6 weeks old on monday and he weighs 3 lbs 12 oz as of today. To get him to gain weight they have been giving him the 24 calorie formula instead of the 20..

It's normal for all babies to loose weight shortly after birth, but with premmies it can be worse (particularly for their parents who are probably more obsessed with their baby's weight). The increased calories is also normal, my DD was given fortifier in my EBM as well as a special oil (she only weighed 15.5 oz though) to help her gain.

It's entirely normal for a prem to take a while to catch up. Some catch up quickly, some more slowly (DD is 8 months old and still hasn't caught up). It's really great that your doc thinks your son will be caught up by his due date!! That said, it's totally normal for you to still be concerned and as much as you should listen to your docs advice don't stop questioning. You need to understand what's going on with your son. It really is an alien world in the NICU.

It seems like he is growing in length more than weight. Is there a certain amount they should be gaining each week? when i asked about coming home 2 weeks ago they said i should be prepared for some time around his due date, but not before, but that he would have to be 5lbs by then due to NHS guidelines. So i guessed that means they want him to be 5lbs by 40 weeks as that seems like an awful lot from what he is now. I wish he would grow bigger instead of just longer! I took him some bootees upto 2.5lbs but they were already too big when he was born cos his feet are so big   He had an infection and they told me he is not allowed milk whilst he is on antibiotics - is that normal? or should i be pushing for him to keep on the milk whilst on the antibiotics?

Erin keeps getting longer but not really putting on weight too! Maybe it's a preemie thing? We were told that once they hit about 3lbs they put on wieght faster so maybe that's what they're anticipating? For DD it took two months for her to get to 2lbs and then 1 month to get to 3lbs. She seemed to slow down again after 8lbs (so frustrating!!).

I'm not sure they have a goal weight for preemies. I do know that for full term newborns they're expected to gain 3 - 7 oz a week, but our doctor has been really happy with DD gaining an average of 2oz a week.

I don't know about the antib and no milk thing, I guess it'd depend on what kind of infection and which antib's he's on. If I were you I'd ask his doctors and have them explain it until I completely understood and was satisfied with the answer.

Thanks. There is alot of probs with staffing and things here and i just want to make sure what they are doing is the best possible. They already had to change the type of antibiotics because they said it would clear up quicker. I feel like they are sick of me asking the same thing again and again, as if they are too busy to talk to me   I found out 26 wk twins had passed away here a few weeks before i had mine so im really paranoid!

I cant wait till hes at 3lb its our goal for just now! i can just tell he is going to be so tall like me n his papi. All the growth charts ive seen are for term babies, is there a good one for preemies or is it just too much of an individual thing because of all the other issues? It seems like everytime things get better suddenly they get worse again here   How many weeks was Erin when she reached 8lbs? It must be great to have her so big!

Oh, it's so hard when babies die around you  

I'm sorry the staff at your NICU are treating you like that. If you feel like you're not getting good answers you could try finding out the name of the antib and searching google. We found a lot of good information on Wiki. It's absolutely invaluable.

Ive noticed that every nicu is different! Here they told me that Devyn doesn't have to be 5 lbs to go home he just has to be able to maintain his temperature in an open crib, take all of his feedings by a bottle, not be on oxygen (which he isnt anymore)and gain weight at the same time while doing all of that. Also my friend had twins 6 days before my son, they were a little early and one was just over 3 lbs and they released him to go home! (different hospital though) So I guess it all depends on where you live.

And about the infection and milk- theres a twin baby in a bed right next to my son who had blood in her poop, turned out to be an infection so they put an IV back in and is giving her all her nutrients with that and she cannot have milk for a week, so I think thats probably standard!

It's really hard having a baby in the nicu, such a rollercoaster! But you're doing the right thing by asking questions and if you feel that something isnt right call another hospital with a nicu and get a 2nd opinion! They shouldn't ever leave you in the dark about anything because that's your baby!!

Ok, im glad the milk thing is normal! do u think i could call the next hosp up and ask them things? i wasnt sure if i was allowed to do that n i didnt want it getting back to the nurses here! We are supposed to be moving to the nicu closer to home for surgery soon so i guess we will be out of here soon enough. Thanks for all the replies, i just cant function anymore im so worried all the time   im relieved about the milk though!

just curious about the other baby? Are they doing ok? I had my twins at 33 weeks and they spent three and five weeks in the NICU. I spent almost every waking hour there. It was amazing how far they have come. They are nine weeks old now and have gained four plus pounds a piece. You have to remember that at this point any weight gain even a few grams is a milestone. I know it is hard to sit back and watch and I will encourage you to keep asking questions. It doesn't matter how many times you ask the same question just keep asking. One of my babies had problems with his heart rate dropping and had a notable murmur, none of the doc did any cardiac workup, I pushed and pushed until the did an echocardiogram for my piece of mind. Everything is fine thank goodness but i would have been worried until something was done. so remember keep asking questions.

I agree the milk thing is normal. Your baby will most definitely get the nutrients needed by IV. In your situation it is imperative for your sanity that you have an awesome NICU staff, and it sounds like that is not the case for you. I had my twin boys at 32w5d by emergency c-section and they were in the NICU for 10 days. My experience with the drs and nurses was absolutely amazing and they were all wonderful. You have to ask questions for your sanity and I am sure they are completely used to that. You are not the ONLY parent that doesn't understand what is going on withtheir child and you deserve to be able to ask those questions without feeling that way! Even with as wonderful as an experience that I had in the NICU for my sons, it is sooooooo draining and emotionally tiring that you need all the support you can get. I have been there and if you need to talk or just have questions or want to vent please know that I can lend an ear and talk about things with you. I truly believe that only people who have actually experienced the ups and downs of the NICU and your child have any clue what you are going through. Good luck and you and your family will be in my prayers.
You can reach me on myspace: Brandy Painter or my email is froggieelks@aol.com.

Thanks for the messages. My daughter had already passed away, she had severe HLHS so she hadnt developed a whole heart, and her water broke at 23 weeks. My son has a (different) heart condition too, they have to do another catheterisation before the surgery but want to wait a little while longer. He is still anemic and jaundiced, neither seem to be righting themselves. It took me 3 weeks to piece together the fact that his heart murmur is due to the pda, i just cant believe they didnt explain that sooner but maybe it was a given?!

Seeing that both ur twins (bmp and dean) where born at close gest age but they had a big difference in nicu time, i guess that just shows how individual things are.

It really worries me that we are not even at 3lb yet, and i panic thinking how can a a 34 weeker only be 3lbs. Maybe i just need to quit comparing everything to his due date, but i feel like i need some kind of guidelines as to what he should be reaching each week.

Because he dropped to 1lb 10oz, do you think i should be looking at his growth from the point of a 25 weeker? I know he has advantages over many things, but when i compare him to the growth of other 29 weekers he is just so far behind.

The whole time im at home i end up crying so maybe i am just over sensitive thinking they are getting irritated by my seemingly stupid questions! I have this overwhelming need to be at the hospital all the time and i HATE being at home. Bmpainter u are definately right about who understands, none of my friends have any kids yet and i feel a million miles away from them all now. I just feel like i cant keep track of everything going on, i just want to shut myself off and sleep 

twinmami- I am sorry to hear that your other baby didn't make it. I'm sure it is really hard dealing with everything right now. One thing I would like to encourage you to do is stop comparing your sons growth will all those charts. preemie babies are going to be behind for years as far as their weight and height go. the important thing is that he is gaining weight. There is no set standard for what he should weigh. Just think there are some babies born at term that are only five pounds. Every gram gained means you are headed in the right direction.
As for your health, kinda sounds like you are dealing with some ppd. I hope you talk to your doc about that. I will be praying for you and your son.