1 month early Preemies - have to be breast fed or bottle fed or no difference?

Question

A lady I know had a baby that was 1 month premature.

They went home from the hospital right away without complications and I was shocked to hear her say that she was saying that she HAD to breast feed for a month because the baby wasnt allowed to take a bottle.

This woman is a ding-bat and she does like to play up the "woe is me pity party" and Im not sure if she is breastfeeding and trying to justify her decision to do so by hiding behind "doctors orders" or what, because right after that, she said she would start the baby on a bottle when it was a month old.

Im not familiar with preemies - does this sound right or sound goofy?

I know breastmilk is best... but breastmilk can be pumped and fed by a bottle - which, according to this lady, isnt an option - she said no bottles till after 1 month.

Answer 1

that is odd. my twins were 6 week preemies and stayed in the NICU for 2 weeks, how else would they get fed if not for bottles? i could not be there 24/7...i could not drive myself there, did not have much help, husband is in the navy, two other kids to care for, and they did not really know how to nurse because they could not suckle very well.

anyway i tried nursing them when they came home and it just did not work...so i pumped for awhile and bottle fed.

after 3 weeks they were formula fed. i do know others who have nursed their preemies though.

Answer 2

It depends on the baby's size and overall health as to when they release the baby. Our son was 3 weeks early and went home when I did.

I have no idea why she would say breastfeed for 1 month. If you really want to get at her- tell her she should breastfeed for 6 months or more.

All babies need the immunities and nutrient dense material in the breastmilk- most especially preemies. They normally do put babies on the bottle- and my friend had preemie twins 5 weeks early and pumped then the babies fed through a bottle until she got them home.

Answer 3

My son was 2 months premature. He was in the hospital for a month until he reached a few key milestones, one of which was the sucking reflex so he could eat (bottle or breast). He was tube-fed until then.

Medically speaking, this woman is talking absolute crap.

Now, there is a huge debate over breast-fed vs bottle-fed which we'll ignore completely as it's not the topic, here. A premature baby does not NEED to be breast fed. They need to be FED.

However, most all doctors will highly recommend that babies are breast fed (premature or not), but sometimes woman can't. My sister was on medication, and couldn't. A collegue of mine has leukimia and her medication would have killed her baby had she breast fed. Both babies were premature. What would they have done if they had to breastfeed?

It's possible that she took the doctors "strong recommendation" and turned it into an "order". I'm a proponent of breast feeding (hey, nature did it for thousands of years before mankind invented formula...if a woman couldn't feed her baby, they hired wet-nurses to do it). But as a parent with a much more premature baby, that had complications, and ended up being bottle fed - she's playing the pity card.

Answer 4

I don't know but it could be because they need the antibodies from the mothers milk to build up the babys systems.
But I also do know they make preemie bottles and nipples. Because lots of babys like this can't be breast fed because of other problems. It also may be the doctor strongly suggested it and she took it as she had to or else. Who knows sorry I'm not much help.

Answer 5

Well, going back to when I had my young'uns, breast is best. I don't know about the special needs of preemies in particular, but everything I read then and since indicates that breast milk (provided mom is healthy, her diet is healthy, yadda yadda) is best, as young babies are better able to digest their food. It would seem it would be more important for preemies to have breast milk, as their digestive systems may be less developed than babies who were able to gestate for the full period.

If Mom is having difficulty producing enough milk to feed her little baboo, check to see if there's a local La Leche league that could perhaps put her in touch with a Mother's Milk Bank. (We have one here in Austin).

Oh, and sorry about the "Woe is Me" thang. Don't know what your relationship is with this person (sounds like you don't really like her) - if she's family or married to a good friend, or what - but you've got a choice - endure it or just not visit as often. People like this generally don't stop the pity party when the kiddo gets older - if anything, it gets worse.

Answer 6

I doubt a doctor would say she "HAD" to do that, but breastfeeding is certainly considered far superior to formula feeding for all babies, and particularly so for premies because of their immature immune system. My twins were 10 weeks premie and I expressed breast milk and had it fed to them via a naso-gastric tube - at doctor's suggestion - until they developed a sucking reflex (about 34 weeks' gestation) and could feed directly. The doctor absolutely was opposed to giving the babies formula, but of course if there were no other option (ie the mother had died) then they would. But it would have to be about this severe before any doctor would give any newborn, particularly a premie, formula. Even "my milk dried up", "I have mastitis", and "the baby's not gaining weight" would not have been good enough reasons to give the baby formula in the hospital that I was in; they would have told you "OK we'll get in a lactation consultant", "suck up the pain", and "they will eventually, keep at it" respectively.

I have no idea why she would feel the need to "justify" a decision to breastfeed, given that every reputable health authority in the entire world acknowledges that breastfeeding is far superior to formula. Encourage her to stick with breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months, and in combination with food for at least 2 years, as promoted by the World Health Organisation and practiced in nearly every country in the whole world, except some of the most "developed".

Sorry if I sound a bit peeved - I visited the USA (where I suspect you may be from) when my twins were only a couple of months old and was staggered at how breastfeeding-unfriendly it was. Several large stores or malls suggested that I breastfeed in the TOILETS - would YOU eat in the toilet? For a country that prides itself on being a world leader, it is WAY behind Europe and Australia, and way behind third world countries, in supporting breastfeeding mothers. In Australia we have "parents' rooms" in every major shopping centre, adjacent to the toilets. They usually have comfortable upholstered armchairs suitable for breastfeeding, microwaves for heating baby food, changing tables for changing nappies (diapers), and sometimes even TVs, safe playpens for older children, etc. Compared to being asked to breastfeed in the filthy toilet cubicle, it's heaven.

Please support this young Mum who is doing absolutely, unequivocally the best thing for her baby. Perhaps she is using "doctors orders" precisely because she is in an environment that is so unnaturally hostile to breastfeeding, the most natural food source around.

Answer 7

Breast milk is definitely best, especially for premies--they need the colustrum that helps their immune systems. . . .now as far as HAVING to breast feed, that's a line she's giving you.

There have been so many studies on breast fed babies and it shows that it really does make a difference later on in life. . . but if you can't breast feed, then you shouldn't feel so horrible either because a lot of women can't.

By the way--why is she quitting after one month? She also can pump some milk and let others feed the baby at times.

Answer 8

my daughter was born a month early and only weighed 4 lbs12oz. On top of having the weight she was also having other issues with breathing,eating,juandice.She had to stay in nicu for a while to run tests she finally came home when she was 6 days old. With all these complications we faced the doctors never made it"doctors orders"to breast feed her.they asked me and I said bottle. Although knowing now everything I know about breast milk I probally would've breast feed her.maybe this would've helped her to gain weight faster and to eat better..

Answer 9

she may be stretching the doctors orders a bit to draw attention to the fact that her baby was a preemie, but breastfeeding is the best option for the baby in the early months, if it is possible. that being said, I have nothing against mothers who bottle feed, whatever works for your situation is whats best

Answer 10

Breastmilk is always best, and especially so for preemies. Mothers' milk is made especially for your baby, at whatever age your baby is. Many babies in NICU's are always encouraged to breastfeed, and are often breastfed by their mothers, or are fed donated breast milk from mother's who had preemies as well, whether it be through feeding tubes, pumped into bottles, or if the baby is able, directly from the breast. Formula, on the other hand, is just that- a formula made for whatever baby. Doesn't milk made just for you, that day, or even for that feeding, sound like it would be better than milk made for any baby, any day? Not to mention the risks of formula feeding, including childhood and adult obesity, diabetes, and allergies. No baby needs that, especially one that was born prematurely!

But as you can see, even with all the benefits that breastmilk has to offer, women still sometimes choose not to give that to their babies, preemie or not. So your friend does not 'have to' according to doctor's orders. But she does obviously have a doctor who knows how beneficial breastfeeding will be to her child, and has encouraged her. I hope she continues to nurse her child beyond the one month mark- it would give her child such a healthier base, just as breastfeeding her child had he/she been born on time would give him/her the best base, there is absolutely no reason to switch to a bottle of anything, be it breastmilk or formula. Since you mentioned you knew breastfeeding was best, I hope you also let your friend know that. The AAP now recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months, then with some solids until at least 12 months, and for as long after that as mom and baby desire. The World Health Organization recommends nursing for 2 years.



**Your friend is probably doing this to avoid nipple confusion. It's recommended that breastfed babies are not given pacifiers or bottles at all for 4-6 weeks to make sure both baby and Mom are well-established at breastfeeding. This will ensure that the mother's milk supply is established. Pumps are not as effecient as babies at getting milk, so the baby needs to be what tells the mom's body how much to make, while a pump will simply take milk away. (This is why mothers who exclusively pump or pump too often usually find that their supply drops more and more. Some women can pump excusively successfully, not many.) Babies need to stimulate the mother directly to signal her body to make milk. Also, it's much easier for a baby to get milk from a bottle than from a breast, so if you give a baby a bottle too often, too early, he/she will resist nursing directly from the breast. Nursing directly from the breast is always the best choice for your baby and for the mother's body as well, and is what best ensures a successful breastfeeding relationship. Many benefits come from feeding this way, and not from pumping milk and feeding from a bottle. Babies' jaws develop better when fed from a breast than a bottle of anything. The mother and baby are usually skin to skin while nursing, and this helps with better bonding, similar to Kangaroo Care. Preemies especially benefit from Kangaroo Care (skin to skin contact between parents and babies). Not to mention that bottles, nipples & pumps have to be cleaned, while you don't have to worry about any of that when you just breastfeed. For that reason alone, I wouldn't pump for the first several weeks. Mom needs to be resting & being with the baby, not washing bottles! And any artificial nipple just isn't like Mom's, so babies get confused. Same with pacifiers. Sometimes a nursing baby will be fine with a pacifier, though. (Mine was). If I were you, I'd also encourage your friend to hold off on giving her child bottles until later than one month, unless it's occasional, and because she (the mom) NEEDS to be away from the baby. There's just so much that can be benifitial from the baby continuing to nurse from the breast, especially as a preemie. Hope this helps~

Answer 11

Neither of your three options is the right answer. You don't HAVE to do one or the other, but breastfeeding is the better option, so there is a difference. It's better for the baby's immune system, and helps fight allergies.

It's recommended that bottles not be used with a breastfed baby at first because they need the time to get used to suckling from the breast.