We only got to visit with Caley for a brief time today. Another new preemie in the NICU was having a PDA ligation surgery done bed-side, and they closed down the whole unit for the afternoon so they could maintain a sterile area. This is the same surgery that Caley had done on her second day, and they followed the same procedures then -- so we were very understanding!
Frankly, Caley probably needed a rest. Her reflux is worse when we move her in and out of the incubator. And because she's still on continuous feeds, she never really gets a break from it, like she would if she were on bottles. All suggestions for managing reflux are welcome. Not only is it painful and annoying to her, it's slowing down her weight gain too. She has been averaging only about 10 grams per day the last few days. At that rate, we'll be in the NICU until Thanksgiving.
There is a nutritionist in the NICU who we plan to talk with this week about how to get Caley gaining more weight. In the meantime, pray for a fat little baby!
Sefu had reflux...we had to play around with meds a lot. The main things that helped were sleeping on his stomach, sleeping with his head elevated, and keeping him upright for 20 mins after feedings. Since she gets continuous feeds, thats not helpful. I do remember that everytime it seemed to be unbearable, it would start to get better.
ReplyDeleteWilliam and Matthew had reflux too. But like Elizabeth's post above it was only after they were off continuous feeds. It took a LONG time to grow out of it though so file her suggestions away as those things were what worked for us too.
ReplyDeleteI think we were on predisone (baby prilosec) until the boys were 10 or 11 months old. Is she too young yet to start this type of med?
Hang in there...reflux is not fun, but it is manageable.
And by the way, the picture of her in the previous post is ADORABLE!
Are you breastfeeding (pumping)? If so, there may be a food sensitivity issue. When my baby was in the Nicu, she always had problems with tolerating feeds -spitting up, residuals, and slow weight gain. When she got home, she continued to have GI issues and I went off of dairy, eggs, and soy. Apparently those proteins in breastmilk can be very difficult for an immature digestive system. Good luck, she looks so cute!
ReplyDeleteWow, Marie - your little baby HAS come a long way! Reflux is a happy problem to have (albeit distressing). Juliet is our little puker. I have friends who wouldn't know what to do with a burp cloth, but we are always reaching for them (or better yet, burp tarps). There are lots of things to try (most of which would be hard to do in the NICU) but just keep telling yourself that she'll grow out of it eventually! If you are pumping, you can try the diet thing, but in order to do it right, you have do be off each item completely (like scrutinize the ingredients of everything) for at least two weeks...and even then it might not work. If you manage that, you are a much stronger person than I am! This may throw my motherhood into question, but I figured the kid is lucky to get breast milk - I'm doing my best! (o:
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