Weight gain of premature babies: How to support your baby

Premature babies are newborns who are born before the normal due date of 37-40 weeks. The weight of premature babies is less than 2500 grams, extremely premature babies even weigh less than 1000 grams. Their immune system and digestive system are not yet sufficiently developed. They are so vulnerable that they could not survive without special treatment and a long time in the incubator.

Their immature organs often make breathing possible only through intubation, and eating can often be done only through feeding tubes. The weight of premature babies should develop similarly outside the body, i.e. in the incubator, as in the womb. Achieving this is sometimes a real challenge.

Clinics specializing in premature babies have a few tricks of the trade to give the little one the best possible support. In addition to optimal nutrition, there are a number of measures to promote and stabilize weight gain in premature babies. We tell you how you can support your baby’s weight gain. However, medical care is essential.

What you can do to support weight gain in premature babies

Weight gain of premature babies!

mother’s milk

Even if your child is born prematurely, your body adjusts to the special needs of your baby. In this way, a special milk is formed for about 4 weeks, which is very similar to colostrum, but is much more substantial. The protein content is 20% higher. Growth factors, long-chain fatty acids and hormones are plentiful. They protect the immature immune system and intestinal flora bacteria settle faster. Above all, the so-called hind milk, which only begins to flow later, is very rich in fat, so that the calorie content increases with this milk.

With mother’s milk, the digestion gets going better and the baby’s spaghetti (the baby’s first bowel movement) can leave the body faster. If it is not possible to get breast milk, special premature baby food with probiotics should be used. Normally, breast milk is initially pumped and administered through tubes until the baby can suckle on its own.

physical contact

Not only nutrition, but also regular physical contact can help to increase the weight of premature babies. For this purpose, the premature baby, provided it is stable, is taken out of the incubator and placed on top of you or your partner. This creates a very close physical contact between your premature baby and you. The longer and more often the baby has physical contact, the better it is for the overall development. Here you can already lay the foundation between physical contact and the feeling of satiety if your child receives a tube meal while cuddling. The transition to breastfeeding is much easier later on and potential weight gain setbacks can be reduced.

Classical music

In a clinic for premature babies, doctors have discovered that classical music reduces the energy consumption of premature babies. Nutrients are also better utilized when the sounds of the hospital are masked. The premature babies gain weight faster and the time until discharge from the hospital is reduced. Children with music generally develop better .