Preemie Nipples

Specialties NICU

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My unit will not send a baby home until they can use a term nipple, but I see preemie nipples for sale all over? What are your guidelines? Do you send babies home using preemie nipples?

Specializes in NICU.

We use the red nipples on premies and bigger kids who have been poor feeders. Sometimes the NUKs work, but I've had them collapse and give the baby a milk bath. If necessary, we give the mom some red nipples to take home with the baby.

Gompers, I remember being handed a baby, wrapped in a blanket, that was so light it felt empty. He was 6 weeks old, less than birthweight.......his mom had been feeding him with an eye dropper, because he wouldn't breast feed. Mom couldn't see he was being starved to death. It took a very pushy neighbour to insist that mom take him in to see the ped. Mom and dad already had a 2 year old, and had no problems with that child.

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Specializes in NICU.
Gompers, I remember being handed a baby, wrapped in a blanket, that was so light it felt empty.

Just wondering why this was directed at me! Not that it was a negative comment or anything - I totally agree that sometimes breastfeeding moms don't see that their baby is starving to death! Those are the ones we get from the ER, a week old, severely dehydrated, with bilirubin levels of 29!

:uhoh21:

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We don't have preemie nipples, either. It's all regular "term" sized nipples. I think our MD's and NNPs push the kids to PO feed so early, we have like 25 and 26 weekers who po feed at least once a day, sometimes more. Those kids are slugs! But they must attempt PO qd. And they spill more than they take. Preemie nipples would be great!

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Specializes in NICU.
We don't have preemie nipples, either. It's all regular "term" sized nipples. I think our MD's and NNPs push the kids to PO feed so early, we have like 25 and 26 weekers who po feed at least once a day, sometimes more. Those kids are slugs! But they must attempt PO qd. And they spill more than they take. Preemie nipples would be great!

I'm hoping you mean FORMER 25 and 26 weekers PO feeding!

Our docs and NNPs order PO transition at 32 weeks if the baby's respiratory status is stable. But it is ultimately up to the nurse whether she wants to PO feed or not. The docs or NNPs can complain, but we go as slow as the babies need.

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Specializes in NICU.
Gompers, you are one lucky RN to have someone mix your formulas!Drives me crazy when I have to make Neosure 29 or something crazy! :uhoh3:

If we have a kid that was leaking like that we'd squeeze his cheeks and chin together for "support".

Can't remember the last time I used those pink nipples. Maybe for some IUGR kiddo.Remind me of when I fed baby rabbits! :rotfl:

I know, we are spoiled ROTTEN!!! We have nutritionalists who make up formula and breastmilk mixtures every day in syringes or jugs (for the bigger kids) all nice and neat, daily supply in the fridge by 4pm sharp. Each kiddo has his or her own labeled stash! Otherwise we use plain breastmilk or the regular pre-made bottled formula.

I do try to give chin and cheek support, but the trouble I always run into there is that then the baby has an even better suck and gets MORE milk into his/her mouth...but that doesn't change that fact that the kid doesn't understand the concept of swallowing! Hence the mouthful of formula spilled onto the bib. :chuckle

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PO feed a 29 weeker???!! :chuckle I would put my head through a wall! Don't you just feel like screaming "Eat!!! EEEAAAAT!!!" Some days?

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Specializes in NICU.

Sorry, Gompers, I directed it to the wrong person. :imbar

It was fergus who wrote about breastfeeding (nipple confused) moms who choose to cup and/or finger feed their babies at home.

Hi fergus!

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:)HI!

Seriously, you wouldn't believe how many breastfeeding dehydrated babies we get who wind up needing triple photo. I actually prefer the cup feeding cause at least those moms can measure some of the feeds. I honestly don't know what some of our postpartum nurses are teaching moms, cause it is always the term kids we get like this.

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Specializes in NICU.

The way I see it, any baby who nurses for a half hour, and still has a dry mouth, needs feeding...........that was my grandbaby.....

Many of our moms are so intimidated by the lactation nurses that they don't want the babies to have formula, so now we have compromised babies who need to stay under the lights, but whose moms want to breast feed............grrr. We don't cup feed in our nursery, but we do use NUK nipples. I'm surprised the Avent people haven't made it to the hospitals, as their nipples and bottles are very popular, now! They used one of the low flow Avent nipples with my grandbaby, she did just fine, breast only when mom's milk came in, till my d-i-l had to go back to work.

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I am with you. I think it's completely inappropriate to have a term baby in the NICU under triple photo because mom and the nurses starved it in the name of "breastfeeding". Guess what? If your kid isn't getting any milk, he isn't breast FEEDING anyways. You would think that formula is orificenic to these people. They need to have their heads examined..... Then they don't want the baby to have a soother either... OK, but your kid is going to be screaming all night and I can't comfort him....

We cup and finger feed kids in the NICU whose moms want to breastfeed. If someone caught you sneaking a nipple, you might be beheaded;)

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Specializes in NICU.
You would think that formula is orificenic to these people. They need to have their heads examined.....

We've had parents refuse formula and insist on us starting an IV and giving fluids that way. If the umbilical cord wasn't an option, we'd spend an hour or two trying to establish IV access in these dehydrated kids! They'd rather us torture the babies with needles and put them at risk for infection, than have a drop of formula or an artificial nipple touch their lips. Once or twice they've insisted on NG feeding!!! MOST OF THE TIME either our nurses or docs can talk the parents down from this and we end up giving formula by mouth. Sometimes they'll allow pedialyte since it's not really formula. We don't cup or finger feed on our unit, but they do in newborn nursery.

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Specializes in NICU.

Why do moms think a finger looks like a nipple???? :rolleyes: All we need is

a pacifier shaped like a finger.....now that's a good idea, :idea: maybe they would pay a lot of money to have one made from a mold of mom's finger...hmmm. I'm sure they would sell! Custom made finger pacis, so you won't be confused. Then you could make little holes near the end so you could finger feed without using that tube.

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