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Feeding Baby with IV Nutrition
Feeding Baby with IV NutritionNarratorNutrition is the cornerstone of your baby’s NICU experience. It helps them to grow and to be healthy. In time,breast milk should be the mainstay of a NICU baby’s diet. But, when many preemie babies first arrive in theNICU, they’ll need to be fed by what is called intravenous nutrition.Erin Hamilton Spence, MD, NeonatologistIn the NICU, we do rely on intravenous nutrition quite a bit. So until a baby is able to take all of their nutrients intheir intestines then we do rely on IVs.So typically intravenous nutrition is used somewhere between the first two to 10 days of their life, depending onthe baby. So sometimes longer for the special cases. But it's extremely important to make sure that they don'tlose a lot of weight, get too dry, get dehydrated. We rely on that intravenous nutrition to help us get through thetime until they can digest all their food themselves.Susan Sward, MDAnd on top of that we want them to grow. And we want their growth to come as close as possible to that theywould have had inside mom, and that's pretty hard to achieve. We usually start out in a pre-term baby with IVnutrition that includes fats and minerals, and vitamins, and proteins, and carbohydrates, and that's called totalparental nutrition.NarratorSpecial tubes are carefully inserted into one of the baby’s veins in order to provide the correct amount of TPNnutrition.Sue Hall, MD, NeonatologistA PICC line is a peripherally inserted central catheter. It's a type of IV that can stay in the baby as long as amonth. So the benefits are the baby doesn't have to be stuck multiple times for an IV. And also we can use ahigher concentration of nutrients in the fluids the baby is receiving through that line.TPN stands for total parenteral or IV nutrition. It's a solution that has glucose and protein, fats, minerals andvitamins. So it's a perfectly balanced solution that should be able to help the baby grow and thrive in spite ofnot being able to take any feedings into their stomach.NarratorOnce feedings are started, they’ll often be given through a gavage tube, which is a tube that is inserted into thenose or mouth and goes to the stomach. Then, when baby is ready, baby will be gradually transitioned to oralfeeding by bottle, breastfeeding, or both. The bedside nurses will help your baby learn to feed and will monitorhow baby grows.Chelsea Yamashiro, NurseSo we are concentrating on her feeding, concentrating on getting her ready to eat right now her main goal is tojust eat and stay a hydrated baby.NarratorIf you’re able to provide breast milk, do everything you can to breastfeed and pump. However, if your baby wasborn very early, doctors may order special nutrients to be added to your milk to enhance your baby’s growth.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.NICU00010A EN FeedingBabyWithIVNutrition.docx© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2Feeding Baby with IV NutritionThere may also be circumstances in which doctors may order special formulas for your baby, either in place ofbreast milk or in addition to it.Remember: Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for your baby, so if you’re able, be sure to breastfeedand pump.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.NICU00010A EN FeedingBabyWithIVNutrition.docx© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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