Giving birth to your baby early, especially if you weren’t expecting it, can be a shock. If they could, they would! Giving birth early They are sometimes known as “the Great Pretenders”, because they may spend a lot of time looking like they are feeding, but are not actually taking much milk! This is because, even when well positioned and deeply attached at the breast, and encouraged to feed as often and long as they want, they often just don’t have enough energy yet to take what they need from the breast. Small babies – those born early and/or small for their gestational age – can be tricky to feed at first, and it’s helpful to be aware of this. Small/early babies can be tricky to feed at first It may also be helpful if your baby was born earlier than 34 weeks but is now at or after term age and still needs help with feeding.

The following information may also be helpful if your baby was born at “early term” (37-39 weeks) but was small for gestational age, especially if under 2500g. Your baby’s doctor will want your baby monitored closely over the next few days to ensure his temperature is fine, his blood sugars are in the normal range, he doesn’t need treatment for jaundice and that he is feeding well.

Most late preterm babies do very well when they are born and, if they don’t need extra support with breathing, will usually stay with you. Because these babies are often well – most don’t need to spend time in Special Care – and because they look like full-term babies (just a bit smaller), it’s often assumed that they will breastfeed easily from the start.īabies born before 37 weeks gestation are treated as premature. Late preterm babies are usually defined as those born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation.

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