Because Luke was early he did not have the ability to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time. That meant that he was not able to start breastfeeding or bottle feeding right away- he had a feeding tube for the first few days. I was able to bottle feed him for the first time the morning of the 13th.
I was so excited and happy to be able to do this- it made me feel so much more connected to him. It was important to have Luke finish his bottles quickly so that he did not use up more energy eating than he was taking in. That became a challenge because he liked to fall asleep while he was eating.
Fortunately, while Luke was still in the NICU I was able to start breastfeeding him but we had to follow that with a bottle to make sure he was getting enough to eat. As any mother who has breastfed her child will tell you, it is not an easy thing to do. The first few weeks we were home were a definite challenge.
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