Help - I am BF my twins in NICU but the drs still want to make me bottle feed them

[Homeschooling Mom]

My babies have been in the NICU for 9 days after being born @34weeks. They are fine except that the drs want them to eat more (they are bottle and breast feeding - no feeding tube). The only thing they are hooked up to is the heart monitor and the pulse monitor. They sometimes drop from 100 down to 79 on the pulse if they eat too fast, but it goes right back up as soon as you take the breast or bottle out of their mouth.

I am breastfeeding them for about 15 minutes - when I pump for 10-15 minutes I get between 4oz to 8oz per breast. Then the drs want them to have a bottle with 40ml, but they only drink 20-30ml. I think that they are just full. I forced Elijah to eat more one time and he just spit it up - it was too much for him. They drink the full 40ml if I am not there to BF them. I want to take them home, but I also don't want to go against dr orders. They are either staying the same on weight each day or else gaining between 1oz to 3oz per day.

What is your opinion do you think I should ask to take them home???? I am not an inexperienced mom, I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old and I was a nanny for over 13 years before I had my kids - several years as a nanny to twins infants.

Thanks...

[marasam1210]

Originally Posted by Homeschooling Mom

My babies have been in the NICU for 9 days after being born @34weeks. They are fine except that the drs want them to eat more (they are bottle and breast feeding - no feeding tube). The only thing they are hooked up to is the heart monitor and the pulse monitor. They sometimes drop from 100 down to 79 on the pulse if they eat too fast, but it goes right back up as soon as you take the breast or bottle out of their mouth...
What is your opinion do you think I should ask to take them home????

I'm sorry you're feeling pressured into bottle feeds. My girls were extremely premature, so we didn't have a choice about breastfeeding from the beginning (they received breast milk by ng/og tube, and then by bottle because my girls had difficulty latching), but I followed our doctors' suggestions and I am happy with our choices in the NICU. Are your babies gaining weight?

I have no experience with 34 weekers, but I would worry about taking them home before the doctors advise it. You may be an experienced mom, but premature twins might be a different ballgame. You mentioned that your twins have As&Bs during feeds. Do they get A&Bs at any other time? Do they maintain their temperatures well? Would they need to come home on apnea monitors? Our NICU rarely discharged babies before 37 weeks adjusted age, which is when my girls came home. I've heard that babies could be discharged earlier but only if they have no As&Bs, feed well, and maintain their temps.

[MelJ]

although our 34 weekers weren't in the nicu, they were bf but was told by the neonatologist they HAD to be on neosure because of their sizes/weights.
They were on neosure for 6-8 months as well as breastfed. Honestly, I think doing what the doctors wanted helped tremendously. Our oldest and smallest twin is still a bit small for her age..but she is healthy!
I had NO intentions of bottle feeding them until they were born prematurely.
Are your babies on neosure or another high cal formula?
My recommendation is do what the neonatologist feels is best to get the babies weights up so they can go home happy and healthy. The formula will only be around for a short time!
Congrats & good luck

[Sunshine]

I think it really is just they want know the exactly amount how much they eat (drink). Our twins are born at 30 weeks and for one month in the nicu - i would BF them anytime when i was in but they want me to pump and to bring it in for freezing because they would know the exactly amount. So they get BM in the NICU all the time but only with the bottle. After they came home i never get them really back to BF, it was a big stressy thing anytime and i had to stay with my pump, what is such more time if you going after any feeding with twins to your pump ... time is our biggest treasure, i think they don't know *lol*