Clara has been ‘nil by mouth’ since New Year’s Day. For a baby who’s always had breast milk (directly, or via a bottle, or an NG tube) that’s one hell of a New Year’s Resolution set for her! Luckily it was never intended to be permanent (resolutions never really are, despite best intentions, right?!).
Clara has been allowed milk again, orally, for the first time this year.
On the 19th January, a month to the day she was born, she was allowed 0.5ml of milk via the NG tube in her nose that goes down directly to her tummy. She wouldn’t have known she was being given milk as she’d have had no taste of it, but her tummy and liver would thank us for it. Clara isn’t being given milk for food or nutrition – she gets all of that from her TPN lines into her leg.
She is being given milk to reduce the risk of liver failure.
I’m very keen we do all that’s necessary to prevent oral aversion when she’s older – if she doesn’t eat by mouth now then she’d refuse to eat like that later on. So her milk started being given to her via her NG tube but we can now feed her milk with a tiny syringe into a teat. It’s amazing how much 1.5ml looks when it’s in a tiny syringe!
It’s been three long weeks of dry January and Clara is delighted it’s over! Her eyes flick wide awake, delight on her face at being given the good stuff again, heavy sucking to get every last drop. She then falls asleep happy, milk pout and all.
Clara and the Gutcracker 