When your baby gains weight steadily and is content and thriving, it's reassuring and rewarding. But if your baby has congenital heart disease, you may have to use different feeding methods. A baby born with a heart defect may not gain weight as rapidly as other infants, despite your hard work and persistence. This Web site provides information to help you cope with your baby's feeding needs.
Your Baby's Growth If your baby has a "congenital heart defect", it means the heart or blood vessels near the heart didn't develop normally before birth. Often the term "congenital heart disease" is used to mean the same thing.
Healthy babies usually double their birth weight between four and five months of age. A baby with a congenital heart defect may grow more slowly during infancy and childhood. Growth often varies according to the type and severity of heart disease. An eight-ounce to one-pound gain in a month may be an acceptable weight gain for a baby with a heart defect.
You don't need to try to weigh your baby often at home. Babies gain or lose weight from day to day since their appetites vary. Your baby's pediatrician or cardiologist will weigh your baby with each office visit on the same scale, usually once a month. These weight measurements will show how well your baby is growing.
How To Feed Your Baby Before your baby was diagnosed with a heart problem, you may have already decided to either breast- or bottle-feed. Both these methods work well for babies with heart problems, but it's important to be flexible about your feeding method. Some breast-fed babies may require nutritional supplements. Some babies with heart disease may also require feeding supplements of formula or breast milk through a feeding tube. These ways to feed your baby will be discussed in the next few sections of this article. Healthcare professionals will help support your decision to bottle- or breast-feed your child. Flexibility in feeding schedules and methods is important for children with congenital heart disease.
than the "work" of bottle-feeding. Sucking, swallowing and breathing are easier for a baby to coordinate while breast-feeding. The amount of oxygen available to your baby is greater while breast-feeding than bottlefeeding. Your baby's heart rate and breathing are more normal during breast-feeding. Compared to bottle-fed babies, breast-fed babies with congenital heart defects grow better. How can I keep up my milk supply when the baby can't breast-feed? You'll need to pump at the hospital and at home. If your baby is a newborn, you'll need to pump 8 to 12 times a day (every 2 to 3 hours). If your baby is older, you'll need to pump as often as the baby was nursing. Remember to drink at least 8 glasses of fluid a day.How long will I have to wait before I can breast-feed? Depending on your baby's cardiac and respiratory status, it could be several days to several weeks after surgery before you can breast-feed. Sometimes after surgery, babies are fed through a feeding tube. Your baby can get breast milk that you've pumped through this tube. What can I do if my baby falls asleep every time I try to feed him or her? Often after surgery your baby will remain sleepy and may not seem very interested in eating. The more time you can spend at the hospital holding your baby and offering the breast, the sooner your baby will learn to breast-feed. You may need to watch for feeding cues. These are signs that your baby is ready to eat, such as body and mouth movements, eyes opening and bringing hands to the mouth. Babies feed best when they're awake but before they're crying. Some babies need to be unwrapped and stimulated by gently massaging their feet or back to awaken them for feedings.