‘I’ve been thinking for a while now about doing a series on the “differences” between having a premature baby and a term baby.  Mom and I find that most people don’t really understand what a premature baby means, and some of the things it entails having to deal with.

One of the bigger pieces in our current routine is having to track weight gains and caloric needs.  I know that there is a bit of a “debate” on the whole breast milk vs. formula thing. For premature babies, breast milk is emphasized due to the nutrient content as well as antibacterial properties that help out preemies from lack of development time in the womb.  However, in order to help preemies gain weight, a formula mix is recommended to boost calories, as well as provide vitamins.  It’s a bit of a conundrum.  In particular, iron is needed for parts of brain development that occur in utero in the last couple months of gestation.

Before leaving the hospital, a nutritionist put us on a plan that requires a mix of formula that provides extra calories.  Breast milk is about 20 calories per ounce, and we are upping Captain B’s intake with a special 30 caloric formula that gets mixed in with his milk.

For a goal in calories and volume, his weight in kilograms multiplied by 160 is a general rule of thumb for his total daily intake (in Milliliters).  So, for example, if he weighs 2.9kg he needs about 464 mL per day (2.9 x 160).

This also gives us a rough approximation of when he takes a bottle of how “long” he can go before needing fed again.  As you can see from the picture in this example, if he takes 58mL in a feeding, it is a decent approximation of how “full” our baby is, and when he will want (or need) to eat again.  In this case, 58 is about 3 hours.  It is all a bit tedious, but Admiral Dad loves numbers so he rather enjoys doing this sort of thing.  It’s part art, and part science.  I like to think of it like eating a meal myself.  Am I full after two cheeseburgers and some fries?  Yes.  What about if I only had 1 and 3/4 cheeseburgers?  Also yes. I’d still be “full” and I probably couldn’t tell you which had made me “fuller”.  B is probably “full” whether he takes 58 or 62mL every 3 hours.

Once B hits his “term” date (July 14), he can move off the special mix and just do breast milk (or regular formula) only at that point, but in the meantime he needs the extra caloric intake.  The major goal for his weight is to get to 7.5 to 8 pounds by July 14.

I’m sharing via Google Drive some stats I’m keeping for his weight (current growth projections show his weight gain is on target for 7 pounds, 12 oz by July 14).  Special note to Fleet Admiral Grandfather: you can go here to get updates when I’m not answering your texts on his weight gains.

Weight Tracker
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IIWjN5u2j24jsVyIHy2ravnT5azk_0sr6MFKWY31gJQ/edit?usp=sharing

I thought it would also be interesting to share out how we keep track of his feedings.  Chief Medical Officer Mom and I keep a log book that we record his feedings in.  This helps us know how much and when, as well as keep track of some things like how many “wet” diapers a day he has to make sure he’s doing all right.  I apologize if this is TMI, but reading this blog is of your own free will.  Mom has also devised a “system” for tracking B’s poop.  It’s sort of one-upmanship competition to say that you got to change a diaper that was rated a 9 instead of a mere 1.

Feeding Tracker
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ksuu05_DsYfkipLVGxIC9A6vLWg0_cJwzXJiqVHY5AM/edit?usp=sharing

I hope that was both enjoyable and informative to read.

Admiral Dad

PS – WHY can’t we use the metric system for everything?