Challenge: Feeding Premature Newborn Twins



Challenge: Feeding Premature Newborn Twins

        Tom and Tim are now 15 months old, they eat solid foods of course, rice, veggies and fruits. I can still remember when they were newborns, they were born premature. I started experiencing labor contractions at 31 weeks of my pregnancy. Doctors kept me on complete bed rest, tablets and injections just to buy some time for the twins and then I delivered them via CS at 34 weeks.


        They were born 1.5 and 1.6 kilogram and we were informed by the doctors that letting them gain weight should be our goal the the next weeks. This goal is challenging considering that the twins are not so goodie sucking yet. We used a couple of techniques just to stimulate them to take 10ml for Tom and 14ml for Tim (computed according to their weights.) We used tissue paper to touch around their faces and ears, we made a piece of cloth a little bit wet and touched a certain part of the their bodies in order to wake them up and remind them to continue sucking.



        The first week is the hardest part. I was pumping milk and we used special type of formula milk made for premature newborns. Along with our prayers and patience are the sleepless nights of me, my husband and my mother Violeta. We were feeding every 2 hours, each baby takes around 30-40 minutes before they consumed the volume of milk and then we continuously washed and sterilised bottles because 2 hours interval just ran so fast then time for another feeding session.




       Finally, after 3 weeks, they reached 2.5kilograms which is the desired weight the doctor told us in order for them to receive their BCG vaccine.

It was such a fulfilling feeling that we have worked together in taking care of the twins and helping them cope because they were born 6 weeks early. In an optimistic point of view, being born prematurely is not a negative things because there are also ways, methods, treatments, supplements and even medicines, if needed, that help our little youngsters adjust with the world very well.







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