Development of the Digestive System in Preemie Babies

A premature baby is born before his digestive system is fully formed, which makes feeding more of a challenge than with full-term babies. The contractions required to help food move along the intestinal tract do not occur until around 28 to 30 weeks' gestation, meaning a baby born before 32 to 34 weeks' gestation cannot be fed by mouth. Until his digestive system is fully developed, special care must be taken to feed the premature baby the right way.

  1. Early Feeding Methods

    • Many premature babies are fed intravenously.

      It is important that a premature baby receives nourishment quickly. Glucose and water in IV fluids provide initial nourishment for many premature babies, which is later replaced with a richer solution to ensure all the necessary calories and nutrition are provided in the first few weeks. Depending on the age and health of a premature baby, she might be fed milk by an intravenous device, which delivers nutrition via the bloodstream and gives her digestive system time to develop. Alternatively, a tube inserted into her stomach via her nose or mouth can be used to deliver expressed breast milk or formula.

    Breast Milk vs. Formula Milk

    • Many mothers choose not to breastfeed.

      A mother's milk is the perfect food for a premature baby because it contains important protective antibodies. However, a premature baby lacks both the muscular strength to latch onto the breast and suckle and the coordination to suckle and swallow simultaneously. As soon as a premature baby is able to take milk directly from the breast, this should be encouraged. While breast milk is recommended over formula for a premature baby, if the mother is unable or reluctant to breastfeed, fortifiers can be added to formula to help ward off infection, encourage growth and keep the baby's blood chemicals and minerals at normal levels.

    Weaning

    • A baby ready for weaning is likely to want to feed herself.

      Weaning a premature baby can be challenging because she is likely to take a little longer to develop than a full-term baby, and require extra nutrition to compensate for the nourishment she missed out on in the womb in the latter weeks of a full-term pregnancy. According to the website for the British charity Bliss, it isn't recommended to wean a premature baby earlier than 5 months because her digestive tract is not likely to be developed enough to cope with solid food. Few babies, according to the Bliss website, need to wait as long as eight months to wean. A premature baby will display the same signs of being ready to wean as a full-term baby, such as taking an interest in other people eating, regularly putting things into her mouth, spending more time in a sitting position and not seeming to be satisfied with just milk.

    Drinking

    • Fruit juice needs to be well-diluted.

      A premature baby should drink only formula or breast milk for at least 12 months after his due date -- not his birth date. His digestive system might not be ready for cow's milk by this stage. Breastfed premature babies often need to take vitamin D and iron supplements past their first birthday. Other drinks, such as cooled boiled water and diluted fruit juice, can be given after baby is eating three meals a day.

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