preemies weight

i posted in FFA, not realizing there was a secttion for preemies. sorry for the double post.

but my neighbor's little boy was born at 26 or 27 weeks. the pedi never tells her how he is doing weight-wise, just "oh he needs to gain, he's maintained" etc today she found out he needs a feeding tube cause i guess its worse than they thought? he is 19 months and 19 pounds. how bad is that for a 27 weeker?

Sounds like she needs a new pedi if they aren't discussing weight gain issues with her.

And no preemies here--but while 19 lbs is small for his age--it's not terrible. My oldest was right at 20lbs at that age. You would think they might start with something a little less drastic like drinking pediasure, high fat, high calorie food, etc. Or perhaps just a referral to a GI doc before jumping to a feeding tube.

According to the chart we use he isn't on the charts for 19 months but he is for his adjusted age (barely, but still).

Why isn't he gaining weight? Does he eat enough? The Dr shouldn't be pushing a tube unless that's a last resort. Has he seen a nutritionist? Does he have trouble eating and if so has he seen GI or a feeding clinic or OT or even SLP? Seems crazy to be pushing a tube which will cause even worse eating issues in the long run!!

DD is a 27 weeker and is 14 minths/11 adjusted at 15 lbs and isn't on the charts. We just got referred to a feeding clinic to help her eat better. I would switch to a different Dr if they aren't willing to communicate with me about my child's health!!

my son wasnt micro preemie, he was 35 weeks.. He is 21 months and only weighs 22 lbs. not on the charts at all but he is healthy. They did a full work up of his blood and he sees a GI dr. but still just doesnt gain easily. All they tell me is that he is petite. If she is concerned she should get a second opinion

my son is 33 months and only weighs 26 pds. and he was an 8 pd baby! his preemie 30 weeks baby brother was born at 2pds 15 oz and now weighs a whooping 18 1/2 pds at 7 months (5 months adjusted) Ive learned that they ALL grow at their own pace although i would find a diffrent dr since hers wont talk about his weight! my dr ALWAYS tells me what my kids weigh

Quoting Amy {OneGirl, TwoBoys}:" i posted in FFA, not realizing there was a secttion for preemies. sorry for the double post. but my ... [snip!] ... needs a feeding tube cause i guess its worse than they thought? he is 19 months and 19 pounds. how bad is that for a 27 weeker?"

My son was a micro preemie at 25weeks4days gestation he weighed 1lb13.5oz. He is now 8months old (5months adjusted) and weighs 17lbs. We are still using the high calorie (27kcal vs 21kcal) and iron fortified preemie formula with him primarily and he has recently started on baby foods. I can't remember exactly what the NICU told me, it has been 5 months since we left there, but I think it is 8-10 wet diapers and 1 stool every day? that is what they told us to look for to make sure eli was eating enough and then he would gain at his own pace. "they" want to see preemies caught up to their full term agemates by the time they are 2yrs old.

Quoting {tamz}:" According to the chart we use he isn't on the charts for 19 months but he is for his adjusted age (barely, ... [snip!] ... help her eat better. I would switch to a different Dr if they aren't willing to communicate with me about my child's health!!"

his mom says he just doesnt like to eat. when i've seen him take a bottle(usually Pediasure is in it) he'll drink 2 ounces, stop for a few minutes, you have to put it back by his lip and he will take it for a few swallows but thats it.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Amy {OneGirl, TwoBoys}:</b>" his mom says he just doesnt like to eat. when i've seen him take a bottle(usually Pediasure is in it) ... [snip!] ... 2 ounces, stop for a few minutes, you have to put it back by his lip and he will take it for a few swallows but thats it. "</blockquote>


One of the goals of a feeding clinic is to figure out why a child doesn't want to eat and how to help them. Seems like all options should be explored before giving him something that will encourage even less eating :/

My son was born at 31 weeks. He was 2 pounds 4 ounces at birth. He is now (10 months) 13 pounds. He has a feeding tube. He has never eaten by mouth. His suck is nott strong enough and he has reflux really bad. The tube really helps with his nutrition. I wouldn't say that it helps him gain more than usual though. He also has Cornelia de Lange Syndrome so this is why he has so much trouble.