Tips for moms with special kids. How quickly premature babies gain weight

02.08.2019

All children are different, and each child has its own individual characteristics of the organism, therefore, the process of physiological development does not proceed in the same way. First of all, it concerns the weight gain of the baby. Naturally, some newborns are born quite large - up to 5 kg or more, while others may be born prematurely and have a small weight by the time of birth. However, regardless of the parameters at birth, there are certain norms, tangible deviations from which require mandatory consultation with specialists.

Children at birth have different weights, so the concept of the norm includes different meanings.

Common weight indicators for infants up to 1 year

Baby's age, month	Weight gain, grams
Baby's age, month	monthly	for the entire period
1	600	600
2	800	1400
3	800	2200
4	750	2950
5	750	3650
6	650	4300
7	600	4900
8	550	5450
9	500	5950
10	450	6400
11	400	6800
12	350	7150

By the age of one year, the weight of the child increases significantly

These parameters are not strict and certain deviations in both directions are quite acceptable in newborns. They are caused by a genetic predisposition. Shorter-than-average parents tend to have smaller babies than taller, larger-bodied moms and dads.

According to statistics, large babies gain more weight than newborns with normal parameters or babies born prematurely. For them, an increase of 600-800 grams every month, up to six months of age, is considered the norm.

If the baby is gaining less than the lower limit, it is worth consulting with a pediatrician.

indicators of poor weight gain

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve exactly your problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

Quite often, overly caring mothers and suspicious grandmothers begin to panic ahead of time and come up with unnecessary and unreasonable problems for themselves if the child is not gaining weight well. In order to avoid unnecessary worries, it is important to be able to understand why the child is not really gaining the required rate.

If such a situation occurs, in addition to significant deviations from the normal parameters shown in the table above, the infant may also have other symptoms. First of all, it concerns the condition of the skin. On the body, the crumbs do not have fat folds, and the skin becomes pale, uneven, inelastic, wrinkled and dry, like in the elderly.

A child with underweight is characterized by the absence of fat folds and pallor of the skin.

Secondly, the child is noted:

lack of appetite;
sleep disorders;
a strong decrease in motor activity;
moodiness and constant crying.

If, against the background of a small weight gain in a newborn, at least one of the listed factors was noticed, parents should definitely show the baby to specialists. This is especially true for families in which people are large in size, and the baby's physique is rather flimsy.

At the appointment, the doctor will examine the child, identify the causes and be able to correct the further actions of the parents to eliminate this problem, if any. Timely intervention is very important in such situations. However, if the little one is active, cheerful, eats well and does not spit up a lot, but does not gain as much as he should - these are just the characteristics of the body and you should not worry.

Wet diaper method

In order to check whether a child is gaining weight poorly, there is a long-known method of wet diapers. True, there is no scientific justification for its fairness, therefore it is up to the parents to rely on reliability or not. The meaning of the method is to count the diapers that the baby has wet during the day.

During the test, diapers are replaced with gauze diapers. All day long, the baby must be fed exclusively with breast milk. The number of wet diapers received per day should be compared with the indicators that are the norm at the corresponding age. During the first 2-3 weeks of life, the number of urination per day for a newborn should equal his age in days. For 6 months, it is considered normal if the child pees from 10 times a day, and from six months to 8 months - at least 8 times.

In the event that a mother has difficulties or doubts about how she breastfeeds and whether her baby is getting enough milk, you should consult with breastfeeding specialists. Before asking for help, it is advisable to observe the baby a little. Knowing the doctor's habits, behavioral characteristics of the baby: how often he burps, as well as the number of his wet diapers, will help to get a more correct picture and understand the reasons for low weight.

Reasons for low weight gain. How to deal with this problem?

The most important thing that parents need to do before taking any action to combat poor weight gain in infants is to find out the real cause of such a problem. Plus, you need to calm down and not be nervous in advance, especially for a nursing mother. Among the possible reasons leading to monthly small weight gain, the 2 most common ones should be distinguished:

insufficient amount of breast milk that the baby receives for breastfeeding;
indigestibility of the selected milk formula in children on IV.

A formula selected for a baby may be poorly absorbed by his body.

Baby doesn't eat

Lack of mother's milk can be due to a number of factors:

incorrect attachment to the chest;
feeding according to the schedule, and not at the request of the crumbs;
refusal of night feedings;
mother's milk deficiency.

Sometimes it is difficult for an inexperienced mother who is breastfeeding to determine whether she has enough milk and whether the baby has enough. Signs that the baby is full and completely satisfied are his quick falling asleep after feeding and sound restful sleep for 2.5-3 hours. The reverse situation, when, after being attached to the breast, the baby cannot fall asleep for a long time and wakes up ahead of schedule, and the dream itself is quite restless, indicates that the milk eaten by the baby was not enough for him.

The strict implementation of the recommendations of doctors and breastfeeding specialists will help to eliminate the problem. First, follows the baby to the breast. Secondly, feeding should not be on schedule, but when a hungry little one requires. If the reason lies in the insufficient amount of milk, the mother should do everything to improve lactation. With further malnutrition of the baby, it is advisable to contact the pediatrician, who will select baby food that is appropriate for the age of the child.

A consultant will help solve the mother's problems and establish feeding

Digestibility of baby food

When breastfeeding a formula-fed baby, it is very easy to control the amount of formula he eats. You should contact specialists in the case when the baby receives the required amount of the mixture every day, but the weight gain does not meet the standards.

Most likely, the composition of baby food contains components that the baby's body is not able to absorb. This usually refers to cow's milk protein. The way out is the selection by the doctor of another mixture suitable for the baby.

Other causes of poor weight gain

Poor weight gain can be the result of an illness suffered by the baby at an early stage in life. During the period when the baby was sick, the body threw all its strength and resources into overcoming the disease. So it is absolutely normal if, even with a common cold, weight gain can become below normal. After recovery, everything will be restored, and the missing grams too.

Another cause of such a problem as underweight is often physical stress. It can be provoked by massage, therapeutic exercises or swimming. Procedures of this nature tire the little one, in their process he loses a lot of strength and energy. In order to find out if this is the reason for a small weight gain, it is enough not to do procedures related to physical activity for some time. If the baby’s weight gain is restored as a result, this will mean that the matter concerned precisely excessive physical exertion on the baby’s body during the procedures.

Intense exercise, such as swimming, can lead to weight loss.

Deviations from normal weight gain can serve as the first signs of a neurological disease or the appearance of helminths in a child. Also, genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis, galactosemia or adrenogenital syndrome can lead to weight problems. Doctors are obliged to detect and treat violations of this nature at a very early age.

The lack of prescribed grams by a premature baby requires a particularly careful attitude to his health. In children who were born prematurely, there are usually pathologies and various disorders in the functioning of internal organs. Doctors always inform parents about the presence of a problem and prescribe appropriate measures, under which, by the age of one, the baby will be able to catch up with their peers in terms of parameters.

What is not recommended to do with the problem of poor weight gain in a child?

It is important to take into account that, unlike an adult organism, a child does not store energy - he should receive the necessary amount of nutrients for each feeding, otherwise this may adversely affect the health of the baby.

If the weight grows more slowly than expected, the behavior of the crumbs plays an important role. The lack of the necessary grams in an active, vigorous, with healthy skin and sound sleep baby suggests that he has enough weight gain for normal development. There is no cause for concern in such situations.

If the baby is active and feels good, he has enough of the nutrition that he receives

Otherwise, you need to understand that only a pediatrician can determine the true cause of problematic weight. The specialist must decide what actions to take to eliminate deviations from the norm.

In the case when a young mother notices that the little one has stopped gaining the necessary grams, she should stop listening to experienced grandmothers and relatives. Their advice is far from always correct, and instead of being useful, it can harm the health of the crumbs.

A fairly common situation is when caring relatives or acquaintances explain the lack of weight by the fact that mother's milk is not of very good quality or low-fat, calling it "empty". By this is meant that it does not contain the nutrients and vitamins that are required for the normal development of the baby. However, breast milk has always been and will be the best option for baby food, because the body of a nursing woman has the ability to determine what the child lacks, to make up for a number of missing components in milk. Artificial improvement of the properties of milk can harm both the baby and the mother. It is advisable to simply take care of lactation so that the baby does not feel a lack of milk.

Poor appetite and overfeeding

Many moms and dads consider poor appetite to be the cause of the shortage of the desired grams. As a result, parents try to feed the child and force him to eat as much as possible, which is why the child simply burps more and more (we recommend reading:). Feeding through force with natural and artificial feeding will not give a positive effect. A hungry baby will definitely not refuse food, but overfeeding threatens with problems with the well-being and health of the crumbs.

Do not force feed your baby - this is also fraught with a number of problems.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, often the problem lies not in bad, but in selective appetite, which in turn is a common whim. The kid does not want to eat what is offered to him, but does not refuse other food that he likes more.

You don’t need to try to force feed the child, in this way it will only spoil your nerves and the psyche of the little one - it’s better to go for a walk outside with the baby, do various physical exercises or just play active games. So he will be able to work up an appetite and then, without coercion, eat the offered portion.

Also, grandmothers often have an influence on a young mother, making her nervous about the weight indicators of a one-month-old baby. They will always find something to complain about in the state of the baby and make the already excited mother worry. Afraid to seem uncaring and following the lead of the older generation, she begins by all means to fatten the thin baby according to other people's words.

They are born weak and underweight, weight gain for them is one of the main indicators of health and development. As a rule, small and premature babies tend to have a faster rate of weight gain than full-term babies. So, for example, a full-term baby doubles its weight by 4-5 months, a premature baby with a birth weight of 2-2.5 kg - by 3-3.5 months, with a weight of 1-1.5 kg - by 2.5- 3 months, with a weight of 0.8-1 kg - by 2 months.

Of course, in neuropsychic development, premature babies lag behind full-term babies, so in the first 6 months it is especially important that the baby gain weight and develop physically. After six months, the conditions in which the baby grows and develops come first, while paying due attention to its development, nutrition and upbringing, by 1.5 years a premature baby can completely catch up with a full-term baby in development, and by the age of 6 at school it is completely no different from other children .

Mother's breast milk plays a particularly important role in the development of premature babies.. Scientists have proven that the milk of the mother of a premature baby has its own unique composition. and differs from the composition of the milk of women whose children were born at term. The main differences of such milk:

1. More protein and amino acids. Protein is the main building material, therefore there is more of it in premature milk so that the baby can develop rapidly.

2. High content of oligosaccharides. These substances are prebiotics, and therefore stimulate the growth of their own beneficial intestinal microflora, which forms its mucosa and contributes to the successful digestion of food.

3. "Premature" milk contains less lactose compared to "full-term". The fact is that even many full-term babies are now born with lactase deficiency, i.e. inability or with a reduced ability to absorb milk sugar - lactose, which is the main carbohydrate contained in milk, let alone premature babies who have reduced enzymatic activity.

4. "Premature" milk contains more antibodies and other protective factors, which allow you to protect the crumbs from infections.

Thus, the establishment of breastfeeding is the main factor that allows successful .

In maternity hospitals, underweight and premature babies are placed in an incubator, then they are transferred to the department for premature babies, where they are again in an incubator until they gain 2.5 kg, then the mother and child go home. Often, children are born as a result of a caesarean section, childbirth can be difficult, which also negatively affects the baby's condition. Often the first days the baby is in intensive care, due to the fact that he has breathing problems.

If the baby cannot eat on his own, he does not have a sucking and swallowing reflex, then the baby is fed through a tube, sometimes the child’s gastrointestinal tract cannot accept even tiny portions of milk or mixture and he has to inject vitamins, immunoglobulins and nutrients by injection. Of course, all this complicates the problem of proper weight gain, and sometimes puts an end to breastfeeding a baby. But all these, as they say, are medical problems, and doctors are doing everything possible to save the child's life. Mom, in this situation, needs to be patient, pray to God for the life of the baby, morally support her baby and try with all her might to save milk.

As soon as the baby gets stronger, the doctor will allow you to feed, start applying the baby to the chest. Do not be afraid if the child does not take it the first time, be patient. The first contact of the baby with the breast can be peculiar, the baby will feel it, hug it, lick the nipple, but not suck. Do not despair, still put the baby to the chest, as often as possible. Even supplementary feeding with expressed milk or formula should be carried out so that the baby lies near the chest at this time, so that the fullness of the stomach will be associated with the breast. Since a premature baby has a very small stomach, he must be fed often and in small portions. On the first day, the child receives 60 grams of milk, then the amount of food is increased by 20 grams per kilogram of weight daily, until the daily portion of milk is 200 grams per kilogram of weight. This portion should be divided into 12-14 feedings, feedings at night are obligatory. The longest break between feedings can only be from 12 at night to 4 in the morning. Then the baby receives a breast every 2-3 hours, during the day even more often - every hour!

Premature babies sleep a lot, so on-demand feeding comes from the mother, not the baby! Wake up the baby, put the nipple in his mouth, even if he sleeps, feed him for an hour, not for 15 minutes, as he still sucks weakly and gets tired quickly. Be sure to pump after feeding. This will allow, firstly, to maintain lactation, and secondly, to supplement the baby with breast milk, because he may not have enough strength to completely empty his chest. Express in 2 containers, the first pump 2 minutes, this is foremilk, the second, while it flows, plus 3 minutes - back milk. Hindmilk is more nutritious, which is why it should be offered to the baby for supplementary feeding.

To control the weight of the child, keep a notebook where you will write down the number of attachments daily, the amount of supplementary feeding (with formula or breast milk), the number of urination per day (they should be at least 12-14), weekly weight gain (normally at least 125 grams in Week). If the baby began to urinate 16 or more times a day, and the weekly weight gain was 200 grams with the same amount of supplementary food, then you can try to remove the supplementary food. By the way, try to introduce supplementary feeding when the baby is sleeping so that the baby does not understand that he is not sucking at the breast, but at the bottle.

To support and also help the child develop and gain weight well, the "kangaroo method" will help you. It was invented by Colombian scientists and consists in the fact that the baby is carried around the clock on the chest by mom or sometimes dad, i.e. the child receives skin-to-skin contact around the clock. This method of carrying a child allows you to create conditions for him that are as close as possible to intrauterine life: the baby feels the warmth of the mother, her smell, the smell and taste of milk, hears the beating of her heart.

Forget about business and everyday problems, your child's health is more important now! Go to bed with your baby a couple of times during the day, and at night the baby should also sleep with you and get milk at the first squeak. If the baby sleeps soundly, then set the alarm for 12, 4 and 6 hours, and put the sleeping baby to the chest. The more skin-to-skin contact your baby has with you, the more likely it is to establish full breastfeeding, which means stimulating weight gain for the baby. Of course, it’s hard to live in such a regime: I carry it on my chest - I put it on - I fed it - I expressed my breasts, but soon these difficulties will give such results that all troubles will be forgotten in an instant. Even if you failed to establish breastfeeding and the baby receives a formula, do not refuse to sleep together and wear a "kangaroo", because this will help the child develop properly, protect him from sleep apnea, and improve the functioning of the heart and nervous system.

Believe in your child and in yourself, then you will succeed! If you are underweight, be sure to listen to the advice of your pediatrician and consult with a breastfeeding specialist. Perhaps the child has some additional health problems, or you are doing something wrong.

Hello, dear readers of my blog - moms and dads, grandparents.

Today we will talk on a rather interesting topic - how to quickly gain weight in a premature baby? This is a very important topic. All early babies are special, because they were born ahead of schedule, when they still needed to be in their mother's tummy.

They are not yet ready enough to start life, which means that it is important to surround them with increased care and attention. So your child will have time to quickly catch up.

The most important moment in the life of early children is the first year. During this period, there is an intensive weight gain in prematurely born babies.

These are crumbs that are born before thirty-seven weeks with an indicator of less than two and a half kilograms. There are three main groups of such babies:

Low weight indicator - from one and a half to two and a half kilograms.
Very low - from a kilogram to one and a half.
Too small - less than a kilogram.

The birth rate of premature babies averages about eight percent per year. According to some reports, this figure even reaches fourteen percent.

The norm for born babies is more than five hundred grams of weight with a gestational age of at least twenty-two weeks. It is important that the child takes a breath on his own.

What is the difference between the body of children born before term?

The internal organs of such babies are developed, although the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract work at the limit in most cases. The same applies to the heart, blood vessels and excretory system. There is a weak immunity in the child, thermoregulation is rather unstable.

Birth and stay in the hospital

When a baby is born prematurely and cannot breathe on its own at birth, it is connected to a ventilator. Such little ones are fed through a probe, because their sucking reflex is not developed.

It takes a long time to nurse the babies - about a month, or even three, will be needed to gain weight and normalize the general condition of the crumbs.

In a not too serious condition, premature babies are placed in a special cuvette - the optimum temperature is maintained there, as well as air humidity. Such children do not regulate their body temperature well, they can hardly even do it on their own, so a special camera is vital for little ones.

When is it possible to discharge a premature baby?

Many are concerned about the question: with what weight do doctors prescribe a mother with a premature baby? If a baby is born with a body weight of more than two kilograms three hundred grams, his state of health is normal, then discharge from the hospital is possible within a week after birth.

Weight gain in premature babies

Those babies who are born prematurely are considered underweight. This requires a special diet. The same goes for care. If you look at the months, then in the first months of life, babies gain weight faster than babies born at the appointed time.

It is important to feed premature babies with breast milk - it contains all the necessary useful trace elements. This is a protein, and antibodies, amino acids and oligosaccharides.

How much does the baby gain?

It all depends on how often he is fed. These kids sleep a lot. Feed the baby should be longer, because the baby is still very weak and can suckle the breast for a long time. At the same time, the amount of milk eaten can be quite small.

The body weight of a toddler up to a year old is a very individual indicator. It all depends on the heredity and nutrition of the mother, as well as on the environment in the family. And the environmental situation can play an important role. Consult your doctor to find out the true cause of underweight.

Premature Baby - Physical Growth

Depending on the level of prematurity, the physical growth of a baby who was born prematurely may be different. This is also influenced by genetic factors, as well as birth weight and the provision of medical care at various stages of treatment.

Most often, those children whose weight is more than one and a half kilograms have no problems with growth. As for those crumbs whose birth weight is less than a kilogram, here, in general, it is not possible to achieve rapid growth.

Such children do not tolerate intravenous nutrition well, they lose eight to ten percent in weight compared to the original. The optimal period for restoring the weight of very preterm toddlers is from ten days to two weeks.

In order for your baby to quickly gain weight, it is necessary to feed him with breast milk - the composition of the milk of the mother of early-born babies is unique, it differs from the usual milk of mothers whose children were born on time.

The main differences of such milk:

This milk contains a lot of protein and amino acids.
Sufficiently high content of oligosaccharides.
Such milk contains less lactose, more antibodies, as well as other protective factors.

It turns out that the main factor that allows you to successfully exit a premature baby is the establishment of breastfeeding.

That's all for today. We do not say goodbye, goodbye, until we meet again. Share your impressions with your friends from social networks. Don't forget to check out the webinar Child health system from A to Z»

About premature babies and their physical characteristics. Parents are primarily interested in the growth and development of the baby, as well as the details of monitoring him and nursing him.

How does he develop physically?

Due to the fact that the child was born in a hurry, his height and weight will be recruited differently, different from full-term babies. Usually a premature baby grows faster than a full-term baby, as if catching up with what he did not have time to sit through in utero. However, if this is a deeply premature baby, the degree of weight gain will be special, the weight will not increase much due to the fact that weight loss at birth will be much more pronounced than under normal conditions.

Premature at birth loses about 15% of body weight, he then needs to restore it to the original and add more weight. In addition, a very premature baby may lack sucking and swallowing reflexes, he poorly absorbs food. He is usually fed in the first days through a dropper - this is called parenteral nutrition, then they gradually switch to food through a gastric tube, and as soon as he begins to digest food, they switch completely to tube, and then breast or artificial nutrition.

The most difficult is the first month and the transition from intravenous to regular nutrition, then the increase can be only 200-300 g, from the second and third months the weight of the child doubles, by six months the baby triples the weight, and in a year from birth the baby weighs 4-10 times more than the original.

Monthly weight gain for preterm infants:

the first month - from 180 to 300 g,
in the second - from 400 to 800 g,
in the third - 600-800 g,
fourth - 600-800 g,
fifth - 550-700 g,
sixth - 700-750 g,
seventh - 500-700 g,
eighth - 500-600 g,
ninth 500-550 g,
tenth - 450-500 g,
eleventh - 300-400 g,
per year total increase from 5900 to 7300 g.

However, it is still not necessary to compare a premature baby with a full-term baby, he will lag behind the usual standards for weight and height: the stronger the prematurity, the more pronounced the developmental delay. Take into account the general trends in weight gain and growth of your particular baby - you do not need to focus on average norms. Under any circumstances, even with deep prematurity, the baby will catch up with peers at the age of three to six years: the smaller he was at birth, the more time it will take to catch up with full-term peers. Global studies reliably show: at 10-18 years old, there are no differences between full-term and premature babies, either in terms of physical or intellectual development.

Growth trends are also natural. The length of the body of a child depends on his birth weight and on the increase in body weight over the months. In the first months of life, growth is at the most active pace - 2-6 cm per month, for a year the baby can grow by 30-40 cm. In a year, his growth can be about 70-80 cm, in the second year growth will not be so active 1-2 cm per month.

The circumference of the head and chest grows faster than in full-term ones, and in the first six months they increase by 2 cm per month, reaching an increase of 12 cm in six months. From the second half of the year, the increase occurs according to the laws of full-term children. The timing of teething will also be different - usually the teeth linger for as long as the baby has not sat in the stomach. So, with a prematurity of two to three weeks, the terms will shift by a month, and with a prematurity of less than 30 weeks, the first teeth will be closer to a year old.

Parents of such a baby

It is important to understand that the birth of a premature baby is not your fault, circumstances are sometimes unpredictable. It’s hard to live with a sense of guilt, it violates the objectivity of the perception of reality, violates your peace - and this is completely useless to your baby. He needs a calm and collected mom and dad. If he feels fine, you will be allowed to take care of the baby on your own, under the supervision of doctors, this is important for children - they react best to their mother's and father's hands.

The most difficult time will be the first couple of weeks - while the baby is weak and requires attention, then everything will be easier, he will gain weight and get stronger. Try to control yourself in order to give the baby the best that can be from food - your milk. You will need the support and help of loved ones, because you still have a home and family, and you need to disconnect from all worries and think about the baby.

Nursing a premature baby

In order for the nursing of the baby to be effective and the child to grow and develop normally, it is necessary to create the necessary treatment regimen and proper care for him. Usually children with deep prematurity are nursed in perinatal centers or departments of premature babies in city hospitals, maternity hospitals. Wherever this happens, a number of conditions are needed to help maintain a stable condition for the baby. A child born at term has mechanisms to help him adapt. In preterm infants, these mechanisms are still undeveloped and immature.

In a hospital, babies are usually separated from their mother, they are affected by sounds, light, air, pain impulses from procedures, etc., because of which the internal balance of the body can be disturbed - the skin is damaged, fluid exchange and thermoregulation are disturbed, infectious lesions occur. Inside the incubator, the children lie almost motionless and cannot signal discomfort, therefore, today, departments of premature babies are trying to involve mothers and fathers in nursing children as early as possible.

One of the effective ways in nursing even very premature babies is. Parents carry the baby on a naked body, tightly pressing it to themselves, thereby creating conditions close to those in utero. This prevents the kids from losing precious heat, which they still do not know how to produce, and maintain a stable temperature in the body. When carrying babies near the body, they improve their breathing and blood circulation, they feel calmer. For the mother, this is also important, since the tactile contact and the smell of the baby stimulate the release of love hormones in her brain, which give bursts of milk and stable lactation.

Participation in nursing the baby gives the mother self-confidence and a desire to fight for the health of the crumbs, and the child in such conditions gains weight more stable and faster, grows and develops. Mom constantly monitors his well-being and will not miss the slightest of his changes, feeds him on her own or with the help of nurses. Being close to the baby helps to support lactation so that as the baby grows and develops, you can begin to apply it to the breast.

Features of the respiratory system

"And how do they breathe, have you heard that they have problems with their lungs, and are they on the machine?" - expectant parents often ask when there is a threat of premature birth. Yes, if the baby is born prematurely, the pulmonary system is not yet ready to breathe on its own. The most important thing that makes the birth of a baby prematurely dangerous is the lack of surfactant in the lungs, which actively begins to form in the third trimester of pregnancy. Why is it needed and why are we so worried about it?

The fact is that at the first breath of the child, his lungs straighten out, and the alveoli are filled with air. On the inner surface of each alveoli (an air sac, braided on the outside with a network of vessels for gas exchange), there is a lubricant similar to fat - this is the surfactant. Its task is to prevent these very alveoli from sticking together during exhalation. If this happens, they will no longer be able to unstick, and the child's lungs will gradually turn off. Then the baby will have to be transferred to artificial ventilation, in other words, the device will breathe for him until his surfactant matures. This condition is also dangerous because weak lungs with poor ventilation give free rein to microbes - pneumonia, bronchitis can join, and this will make it more difficult for the baby to develop.

Parents may worry that the baby is breathing often, and his ribs and tummy are involved in breathing - but this is normal for a premature baby, he has a very intensive metabolism and an active exchange of gases is required. Among other things, the child has narrow nasal passages, they quickly swell, which makes normal gas exchange difficult. Therefore, the air should always be cool and humid in order to prevent drying and swelling of the mucosa.

The baby has a wide chest, the ribs are almost perpendicular to the sternum, the intercostal spaces are wide - this increases the respiratory volume of the chest. Parents are often frightened by the shortness of breath of babies. They may have periods of so-called apnea - lack of breathing or short-term stops. This is due to the immaturity of the respiratory center and nervous system. When, after 10-20 seconds, the level of oxygen in the blood decreases, a powerful signal arrives, and the baby again begins to breathe even a little more quickly. Over time, this will pass - but if the breath holdings are frequent and long, more than 10-20 seconds, this requires a conversation with a doctor.

Paretskaya Alena
pediatrician, member of the Association of Consultants
on breastfeeding, member of the Association IACMAH,
early childhood nutrition specialist
project manager "Children's Doctor"

Early children have always been considered special. They are born prematurely. And, therefore, they are not yet ready to begin their lives outside the womb. They really need the constant attention of surrounding adults, especially mothers. In the shortest possible time, they must catch up with their peers. The most important period is the first year. At this time, weight gain occurs.

Why do premature babies gain weight poorly?

These babies are born weak. The main indicator of their health and development is weight gain. It occurs more actively than in full-term children.

The lag is also observed in the development of the nervous system. If such children are given the attention they need, by the age of two the difference becomes imperceptible. Such children will no longer be different from their peers.

Breast milk is of great importance in case of poor weight gain in premature babies.

Breast milk has a unique composition, in many respects it differs from the milk of a mother whose babies were born full-term.

Mother's milk has a number of advantages:

by the amount of protein. It is necessary for the accelerated growth of the body;
high content of oligosaccharides in milk. They are considered stimulants for the growth of intestinal microflora, help to successfully digest food;
low lactose content;
a high content of antibodies that protect the baby from infections.

Premature babies spend a lot of time sleeping. The initiator of the meal, in this case, will be the mother. The baby should be awakened or put his sleepy papilla in his mouth. The baby sucks weakly, gets tired quickly. After such feedings, you need to express. Such actions will allow you to breastfeed for a long time.

Weight control. If a premature baby is not gaining weight well, start a notebook of breastfeeding, feeding, note how many urinations there were. It is better to supplement the crumbs when he is sleeping so that there is no getting used to the bottle.

It happens that newborns add poorly in body weight the first four weeks after birth. In such cases, you should quickly identify the cause of the shortfall, make the right decision to eliminate it.

Reasons why a premature baby does not gain weight can be as follows:

malnutrition. As a result of the small amount of food that enters the child's body, there is nowhere to take calories from. You should make sure that the baby is properly attached to the chest, listen to whether there are sips when feeding;
poor appetite of the baby;
stressful state of the mother, newborn. The kid feels the lack of love of a loved one. Emotional perception of the world is disturbed;
health problems. In such cases, you should immediately warn the local pediatrician;
mother's bad habits.

How fast do premature babies gain weight?

The process may be considered fast if the food is complete. It is considered as such when it makes up for the perfect energy costs. A full-fledged weight gain occurs when the baby, along with milk, receives the necessary protective substances, microelements. Weight gain in premature babies is not without some difficulties. Such a phenomenon is quite natural.

Nutritional problems of premature babies:

the child is born when the stomach and intestines have not yet fully developed;
eating is difficult. Enzymes show low activity;
the baby is not able to properly suck, swallow;
food is often spit up.

The best food for premature babies is breast milk.

It is vital for them. Milk adapts in its composition to the needs of the newborn, meets his needs.

How is the weight gain going?

Having appeared ahead of time, the baby is gaining about 120 grams weekly. Therefore, in order to control his weight, one should keep records, know, accordingly, what he was at the time of birth. In three months, the body weight of such a baby should double. She will triple in size by the age of one. These figures are only for premature babies.

After birth, all children lose their grams, which are then gradually restored.

It should be remembered that weight gain will not begin without stabilization of its condition. In a premature baby, the losses are much higher. It requires a special diet.

The addition of grams depends on the frequency of feeding. Such children sleep a lot, the process of eating takes longer. However, this does not affect the amount of milk eaten.

Until the first year, the body weight of babies can be different. It is associated with:

heredity;
nutrition of the mother herself;
the environment in the family;
ecological situation.

There are 4 degrees of prematurity in children. They are associated with birth weight, gestational age.

In the table you can see how premature babies of all four degrees of prematurity gain weight.

Table of the rate of weight gain in premature babies:

Age by month	Degrees of prematurity with birth weight
Age by month	I (from 2001 to 2500 kg)	II (from 1501 to 2000 kg)	III (from 1001 to 1500 kg)	IV (from 800 to 1000 kg)
1	300	190	190	180
2	800	700-800	650	400
3	700-800	700-800	600-700	600-700
4	700-800	600-900	600-700	600
5	700	800	750	650
6	700	700	800	750
7	700	600	950	500
8	700	700	600	500
9	700	450	650	500
10	400	400	500	450
11	400	500	300	500
1 year	350	400	350	450
Total increase for 1 year	=9450	=8650	=8450	=7080

The weight gain table of a premature baby shows that such a phenomenon cannot be called a pathology. Children gain the norm during the first year, overtake peers born with normal weight. It should not be forgotten that the table provides approximate data, which may differ in any direction. A premature baby, when he began to gain weight, should still be examined monthly by a pediatrician.

After the examination, the doctor conducts:

assessment of his development, health;
corrects nutritional norms;
will calculate the norms of complementary foods;
will give certain recommendations on its input;
advise what vitamin supplements to give the baby.

How do premature babies gain weight at 25 weeks? A child born much prematurely gains its grams faster with direct contact with the mother. If there are no serious problems, such children are discharged from the hospital with a weight of 2000 grams. Careful control of body weight is necessary for the first two weeks. Every day it should increase by 30 grams. Low gains indicate problems with the digestion of food.

Children born prematurely may be developmentally delayed. Care for them should be approached with great attention, patience, responsibility. An infection, pathology of the placenta, illness of the mother herself can provoke premature birth.

What to do if a premature baby is not gaining weight well?

It is important that children grow up healthy and strong, so breastfeeding plays a significant role in solving this problem. Experts have proven that premature babies should gain weight by eating mother's milk rather than formula.

In its composition, mother's milk is unique, as it contains:

much more protein, amino acids. Babies born prematurely are strongly advised to drink only mother's milk in order to develop faster;
the increased content of oligosaccharides helps to stabilize growth, and improve digestion.

The weight gain of a premature baby by months will begin if the baby is correctly applied to the breast. Further growth of the baby depends on the completeness of milk absorption. Thus, the establishment of breastfeeding is the main factor that allows you to successfully raise a baby. There is a special table that allows you to track what dose the baby should suck out every month.