Five taboos for breastfeeding premature babies

A premature baby refers to a baby who is born before 37 weeks of gestation. We generally call such babies premature babies. The body organs of premature babies are sometimes not fully developed, especially their digestive ability is relatively poor. Therefore, the most important food for premature babies is breast milk. We must also understand some precautions when feeding breast milk. Let’s take a look at the taboos of breastfeeding premature babies.

Five taboos for breastfeeding premature babies

Compared with full-term babies, premature babies have relatively poor sucking and swallowing abilities. They are often unable or unable to feed, and are therefore more likely to choke on milk. In addition to their inferior digestion and absorption abilities as full-term newborns, premature babies have slightly poorer physical fitness. Studies have shown that babies born before 39 weeks of gestation are slightly more likely to have health problems before the age of 5. The earlier you are born, the greater the chance. For example, 15% of babies born at full term develop asthma or wheezing in childhood, but babies born earlier have a 17% chance of developing asthma, meaning they are slightly more likely to end up in the hospital. Therefore, mothers need to be extra careful when caring for premature babies.

Breastfeeding is especially important for premature babies. The breast milk that the baby cannot finish can be frozen and stored. The number of times a premature baby is breastfed can be flexibly controlled. It does not need to be scheduled. You can feed the baby as long as the baby cries and wants to eat. This can prevent the baby from being too full to eat or too hungry to eat if fed on a scheduled basis, which can be harmful. For babies with poor sucking ability, the interval between feedings can be shortened appropriately, with feedings every two hours, in small amounts and multiple times.

If the mother does not have enough milk or has not started to secrete milk yet, the baby can be fed artificially first, and then mixed feeding can be started after the mother secretes more milk. Remember that breast milk is the best food to promote weight gain in premature babies, and mothers of premature babies must not give up breastfeeding easily. For premature infants whose birth weight is greater than 2kg, who have no high-risk factors for malnutrition, have gained weight satisfactorily after discharge, and are bottle-fed, formula milk can be used as a supplement when breast milk is insufficient.

In order to provide premature babies with more nutritious milk, mothers must ensure a balanced and adequate daily nutritional intake during breastfeeding, and eat more calcium-rich foods such as milk, beans, dried shrimps, kelp, etc.

Nursing methods for premature babies

1. Prevent infection: Except for the person who is specifically taking care of the baby, it is best not to let anyone else enter the premature baby's room, and don't take the baby to show to relatives and neighbors. The person who takes care of the baby should put on clean clothes (or special sterile coveralls) and wash his hands when feeding the baby or doing other things. Mothers with a cold should wear a mask when breastfeeding, and wash their hands with soap and hot water before breastfeeding to avoid cross infection.

2. Pay attention to keeping warm: Pay attention to the insulation of premature babies. During home care, the indoor temperature should be maintained at 24-28℃, and the indoor relative humidity should be between 55% and 65%. If the indoor temperature is not reached, you can consider using a hot water bottle to keep the baby warm, but be sure to pay attention to safety. The baby's body temperature should be maintained at 36-37℃. Measure the temperature once in the morning and afternoon. If the highest or lowest temperature differs by 1℃, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure the stability of the temperature.

3. Careful feeding: Premature babies need breastfeeding more. Because the milk of premature mothers contains more nutrients and amino acids than the breast milk of full-term babies, it can fully meet the nutritional needs of premature babies. Moreover, mother’s milk is more conducive to the digestion and absorption of premature babies, and can also improve the immunity of premature babies, playing a great role in fighting infection. Therefore, mothers must have confidence and believe that their breast milk is most suitable for feeding their children, and they must find ways to let their babies eat breast milk.

4. Baby massage: The tactile stimulation brought by massage will form a reflex in the baby's brain. At this time, the baby's eyes, hands and feet will move. When there are more connections and activities between brain cells, it will promote the baby's intellectual development. Another benefit is that children can cry less and sleep better. Abdominal massage can enhance the baby's digestion and absorption function.