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Milk quantity & feed timing for preterm
My baby was born at 34 weeks 3 days (late-preterm) with a birth weight of 2.2 kg. He is now around 2 weeks old. We are feeding expressed breast milk in measured quantities.
Currently, he takes around 25–30 ml per feed, but each feed takes 40–50 minutes as he becomes sleepy while feeding. We are advised to feed him every 2 hours, but we are confused about how to count the feeding interval.
Should the 2-hour gap be counted from the START of the feed or from the END of the previous feed (when the baby finishes feeding)? Because feeds take long, counting from end time significantly reduces the number of feeds in 24 hours. Also does it put stress on baby if we frequently wake him up.
What is the minimum acceptable daily milk intake for a baby born at 34+3 weeks at this age, and how should feeding timing ideally be managed to ensure safety (especially blood sugar stability and weight gain)?
Kindly advise.
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The minimum that your baby should take is 27.5 ml 2 hourly. You can give maximum 45 ml 2 hourly. If you wish to give 10 feeds throughout the day then you can go for min. 33 ml to max 55 ml 2.5 hourly.. For preterm weight gain HMF or MCT oil can be added but under supervision of paediatrician because tolerance is different for different babies. consultation is always preferable rather than just message answers
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I also need the current weight. It should be 2.2 kg atleast
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It is a common problem which u r stating. Ideally every 2 hrly feeds means from start of every feed. In 24 hrs 10-12 feeds are given. 25-30ml per feed is ok. Try to fortify it with hmf, smct oil. Waking the baby up for feeds doesn’t stress him. Keep an eye on weight gain. It should be 30g/day for first 3 months
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Since your baby is preterm he is still learning to take feeds. Usually sucking and swallowing is not very well co ordinated and hence the baby takes a lot of time to take feeds.Give your baby 1-2 weeks more and these things will be resolved. Approximately 30 ml feeds are well enough for the baby at a time, although he may also demand more. If this is the case, offer him as much as possible.
Roughly you should be able to feed him atleast 8 times a day including 1-2 night time feeds.
Next Steps
1. Add HMF sachet in 3-4 feeds in expressed breastmilk
2. Atleast 8 times feeds are recommended
3. Approx 30 ml is good
4. Avoid bottle feeds in between, this causes nipple confusion and hence delay in maturation of sucking and swallowing co-ordination
5. You can also Add 4-5 drops of MCT oil in 4-5 feeds ( alternatively with HMF)
6. Weight monitoring after 2 weeks is recommended
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