Really?? (sorta a long vent)

Ok my son is still in NICU but is very close to coming home. He is a 28 weeker born at 2 lbs 2.5oz. Well he has had numerous instances of food intolerance and has been sick with Group B Strep twice. He is just now 'over it' from the second time. Sunday he weighed 5lbs 2.4oz. Well he got off his antibiotics and taken from 24 cal milk to 22 cal milk, he also had his Broviac taken out yesterday. Today he weighs 4 lbs. 14.9 oz. They started trying to change him to a new nipple for his bottles on Sunday as well. The Dr. Brown preemie nipples flow too slow for him and he gets really tired trying to eat with them and cant finish a bottle. With Dr. Browns level one nipples he does pretty good. At his 6pm feeding he ate the whole bottle for me (he eats 45mL). At his 9pm feeing he only ate 30mL for his nurse (I was gone getting a few things). Now at his midnight feeding it took him 35mins but he finished it all. So now the doctors are talking about keeping him longer if he keeps eating so slow like this. (He just got to all bottle feeds Saturday). I get why they may want to keep him if he doesn't gain/drops weight. Or if he keeps having A's and B's frequently while eating, but I dont get why they are getting this freaked out right now. He gets a bit lazy with eating if he is tired. He only slept 30 mins between his 6pm and 9pm feeding and he only slept an hour between his 9pm and midnight feeding. So of course he is going to be a bit lazier and more tired. It seems they expect these babies to be superheros or something becuase they expect them to do things most of us cant even do.

This was the most frustrating part of having a NICU baby for me. My daughter was nippling all her feedings but not fast enough for them, they expected a feeding period not to go over 20 mins. After nippling all her feedings for a few days she needed to be tube fed again because her little body just couldn't handle it. The doctor said we pressed her too hard and set her back by expecting her to suck so much (at that point she was 36 weeks gestation). One of the criteria for being discharged was nippling all feedings for 48 hours 20 mins per feeding. It was frustrating but it was what was best for her.

Quoting Fatty McRunnerPants:" This was the most frustrating part of having a NICU baby for me. My daughter was nippling all her feedings ... [snip!] ... discharged was nippling all feedings for 48 hours 20 mins per feeding. It was frustrating but it was what was best for her."

He reached his 40wk adjusted on Sunday. He does fine with eating if he sleeps enough but if he is tired he doesnt eat all his bottle. And now they are acting like its some huge huge issue. If he sleeps regularly he has no problem with eating, but if he doesnt sleep well (like hes done this evening) he doesnt eat well. and now it may cause a delay in release because he is doing something all babies (and adults) do. I just dont get it. I mean i dont want him to come home if he isnt ready for it but I want him home as soon as it is safe and reasonable for him to come home. I just...get so frustrated with this whole thing. And then I have a ton of other stuff to do (like im sure anyone else does as well) and its so overwhelming...Gah! I wish something would give.

With my little man we used to have to wake him up several times during the feeding. Tickling his feet, nudging his cheek to encourage sucking and unswaddling him. We did this up until like 4-5 months. He has always just been a lazy/slow eater and now at 17 months he is SUPER picky. Oh and i also remember his NICU nurse telling us that if the feeding lasted more than 20 min that they start to lose weight. Its frustrating   I hope you get to bring your LO home soon!

Quoting USAF wf&m:" With my little man we used to have to wake him up several times during the feeding. Tickling his feet, ... [snip!] ... feeding lasted more than 20 min that they start to lose weight. Its frustrating   I hope you get to bring your LO home soon!"

In the NICU where my son is, they cant let feedings go more than 30 minutes. HE was supposed to be released yesterday but because of one feeding he has to stay longer, it is so frustrating.