Baby girl is growing!

I was induced at 36 weeks due to IUGR and oligohydramnios. My daughter was measuring in the 1st percentile for size and was born weighing 4lbs 3oz. She spent two weeks in the NICU being tube fed and learning to eat from a bottle because breastfeeding was just too much work for her. I've spent the past 4 months pumping around the clock for her and teaching her to breastfeed and I can see that it's finally paying off! She's just about tripled her birth weight and she's breastfeeding like a champ! Here's a head-to-boob ratio for reference ❤️

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So to all the preemie mom's with itty bitty little babes, just know that they'll be bigger and thriving before you know it!

415 views • 12 upvotes • 6 comments

COMMENT (6)

Er

Posted at
How did they find your iugr I have my scan tomororw 😔

Br

Br • Jan 23, 2019
@Erin Just through my scans! I went in for a position scan because they thought baby was breech. She ended up being head down but they noticed she was measuring below the 5th percentile which was a dramatic drop from my anatomy scan. They said they would measure her again in 3 weeks to see if she hit some sort of growth spurt, but I had to go in for NST's twice a week until then. She failed one of the NST's so I had to get another ultrasound to see what was going on, and they found that she hadn't grown and that I had hardly any amniotic fluid left. I went to the hospital immediately afterwards for my induction.

Er

Posted at
This is amazing

Na

Posted at
Hi! My baby was born at 33 weeks, he is now 35 weeks today and still in the NICU trying to learn how to eat off the bottle, how long did it take your baby to learn the bottle and come home? Also, was it hard to teach your baby to latch after being exclusively bottle fed while being in the NICU?

Br

Br • Jan 23, 2019
@Natasha Also, get as much help and as many tips as you can from the lactation consultants available in the NICU, and see them for private sessions once your baby is home if you're able to.

Br

Br • Jan 22, 2019
Hi Natasha! My daughter was in the NICU for 2 weeks. It took about a week for her to start eating from the bottle at all, and another week for her to eat all of her meals from it and come home. She technically came home at 38 weeks GA. I did have to teach her how to latch and it was honestly one of the hardest parts of motherhood so far. Lots of screaming and crying and clawing from my baby, all while I had sore, cracked, bruised, sometimes bleeding nipples due to her poor latch, and I still had to pump around the clock on top of it all because she refused to nurse for more than a second here and there. Its been 4 months and this is the first full week we haven't used the bottle. It was so difficult for me, both physically and emotionally, but so so worth it. The bond we've started forming is amazing and I wouldn't do a single thing differently. If you want to breastfeed, my advice is just to stick with it no matter what and your baby will learn eventually!