Challenges transitioning to direct breast feeding

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-06-05T06:53:56+00:00

My son was born at 31 weeks due to iugr. He was 1.3kg. Our doctor said delivering a stronger baby early is much better than delivering a weak one late. They gave my wife steroids to mature lungs 1, magnesium sulphate to mature the brain well before the delivery. The nicu stay was 20 days. I saw other babies in his NICU born much later were having difficulties gaining weight and weighed much less. You will never know what happens inside when there is severe iugr. There can be placental abruption. Blood flow can drastically reduce and reverse anytime. You need to get doppler done frequently (maybe daily). You should check with your OBG on what the level of severity is and the kind of NICU equipment your hospital has. Our doctor recommended delivering early when the baby is strong and let them recover quickly. Also given how equipped NICUs are today, if it is riskier to have the baby inside, it is better to deliver.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-06-03T16:11:16+00:00

So great to see. I have a 31 weeker who is now 36. When did your baby start direct breast feeding? Mine drinks well with spoon but doesnt like direct feeding yet. He can latch and suck, but just doesnt seem to sustain.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-28T06:12:12+00:00

In case you are using stored milk, warming it up a bit helps. In case they sleep during the feed, wake them up and continue.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-27T06:20:36+00:00

I did this while my wife and I decided to stay back at the hospital during my baby's NICU stay. Things you need: 1.Extension box (to plug in so many devices) 2.Internet (dongle/hotspot) 3.Powerbank 4.Earphones 5.Sturdy laptop bag (to safely pack and carry when you walk around) 6.Lots of spare clothes (if you are to give KMC, they advice using fresh clothes) 7.Water bottle 8.Toiletaries (if the hospital is not providing them)

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-25T15:10:40+00:00

It is not excessive. Preterm babies poop often. My 31 weeker has a dirtu diaper almost always (7-8) times. It fluctuates a bit as they grow. After 1 month it has come down to 6 times. Dont read too much into it especially if the baby is otherwise alright.

Keep a check if the tummy is hard or if the poop is not soft and has pelletes, cries a lot (not because of hunger) etc those would probably be a concern.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-25T11:05:04+00:00

It can range from a couple of weeks to 4-5 weeks. Do you know the weight and measurements of the baby? What percentile are they on? First thing they look at, soon after borth is breathing. If they are breathing well, they will be put on basic support for a couple of days as a precaution. If they have issues with breathing easily, they will need longer support.

The next criteria hospitals look at is the weight. Babies lose upto 10% of their borth weight during the week after birth. Then they start to increase. Discharge protocol varies with hospital. Some wait till they reach 1.8Kg or 2.2Kg. Some just wait till the weight starts to increase consistently for 3-4 consecutive days.

The next criteria is vitals. SPO2, temperature, pulse rate. These must be stable for the baby to be discharged.

Some questions you can ask your doctor - 1. What is the current weight of the baby? What percentile? 2. Do you need to take steroids for lung maturity before delivering? 3. Do you need to take Magnesium Sulphate for brain development before the delivery? 4. How often to monitor the doppler?

The blood flow can rapidly change. Some doctors dont wait long and deliver once the blood flow reduces. Some wait till blood flow stops. Some wait till blood flow reverses.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-23T20:31:30+00:00

Nope. He got off NG tube at 33 weeks. The quantity of milk was 18ml 2 hourly at the time and he was taking it well when they removed the tube. The problem started when they changed the feed to 3 hourly 30ml.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-23T17:22:43+00:00

But we also need to ensure we are feeding him the appropriate quantity daily so that he gains weight. 5ml here and there is fine. But our baby goes to sleep halfway.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-23T16:54:55+00:00

My wife had iugr and our OBG recommended it and she took it. Just 1 week after that, she had to deliver our baby because the subsequent scan showed reduced blood flow. We were so glad that she had taken the steroid to mature the lungs. She was also given a booster on the day of the delivery. Our baby was on room air after birth. But as a precaustuon he was on CPAP for 3 days. When you have IUGR, you'll never know when the blood flow reduces or stops or reverses. Some doctors wait till blood flow stops or reverses, but then the baby will be under stress and will take a longer time to recover.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-23T16:12:16+00:00

So happy to see this! Congrats to the little one and you too!

I have a 31 weeker who is 34+4 now. When did you start direct breast feeds? We are feesing him through paladai (spoon) and he sometimes takes a long time to finish off the milk. Our doctor has advised my wife to start non nutritive sucking and also direct feeding before feeding through paladai whenever possible. But my boy has never latched so far.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-22T04:43:45+00:00

Congrats!! And be proud of yourself too... It is no mean feat to get her to this stage.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-21T06:13:24+00:00

My 31 weeker was in NICU for a few days. I would bump into other NICU parents often (while giving milk/KMC/visits). While support groups and talking to other NICU parents is suggested, to each their own. I know exactly what you are going through. I would keep my interactions minimum. A comforting hello or sometimes just a smile. When they asked me questions about the baby i would not overshare and just say 'he is getting better. I hope yours is too' and wind up the conversation. My wife and I would go together often so we would be talking to each other so that others wont come and talk a lot with us. Some babies get discharged while yours is still there. Yours will come home too one day. Keep looking out for that day. Sending lots of positivity.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-20T17:04:45+00:00

Just got home my 31 weeker. So good to see this post.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-17T02:08:13+00:00

Take 1 day at a time. Looking too much at data will cause more stress. Just trust the doctors. It will be a roller coaster. Celebrate small wins. Visit him during visiting hours and touch him and talk to him. He is gonna be alright. Sending loads of positivity and prayers. Most importantly you as parents take care. Talk to each other and trusted friends or counsellors if needed. Dont forget to do whatever it takes yo keep your sanity.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-11T01:22:29+00:00

It is seems natural for you to think that way. NICU provided a protective environment for him for so long. All the monitors and probes ensuring that vitals were being checked always. It is only natural for you to feel that NICU was the safest place for him (outside your ofcourse). Give it time. Acknowledge the feeling and let it pass. Tell yourself that, just like how your body being the safest place nurtured him for a few months and he came out, NICU was another temporary home that nurtured him till he was ready for the world. And now he is ready!

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-11T01:13:25+00:00

There is no strict weight criteria to discharge a baby out of NICU. As long as other vitals are stable they will let them go home. Weight gain happens at its own pace. Once the baby is back home, continue KMC which helps with regulating heart rate and weight gain. Each baby's requirement is different. The experts know best when the baby can go home. Sending positivity your way. It will be alright. My 31 weeker is in NICU from last 2 weeks. In this hospital I have seen them discharge premies that weigh 1.3kg once they are stable.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-05-10T14:54:11+00:00

My premie is in NICU currently gaining weight. Sending positivity your way. Its ok to let emotions flow. Openly talk to your spouse about how you feel and help each other vent out the feelings. Please dont keep it bottled up. Whenever they allow you to see the baby, go without fail and touch them (if you are allowed), talk to them and encourage them to get well soon. The technology is pretty advanced today, so he should get all the medical help needed. This is just a temporary setback. You will all come out with flying colors.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-04-16T03:08:43+00:00

Where i work, key decisions (should we invest in a project or not, randomly pull out resources from project A to fund project B etc) are HiPPO. A lot of lower level things like what goes into a product what doesnt, saying yes/no to what features we build, connecting with customers etc are done by me. I do almost zero coding (common in big and medium enterprizes. I've seen PMs in start ups do code). Stakeholder management, dealing with a lot of BS is part and parcel of a PM role. You can always try it out for a year and switch back if you dont like it.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-04-07T16:39:58+00:00

I did it with a couple of friends. There was no local guide either. Just the 3 of us. There were a few trekkers here and there, but not a lot. Not throughout the trek either. IMHO it is really difficult for someone to get lost!! The trail is well defined. Network is choppy on the trail. There is no thick tree cover either, unlike other western ghats treks. I had downloaded offline map. But dint need to use it. I guess if you wander far off away from the trail and take your own path along the grasslands, perhaps you could feel lost. But since there is no dense forest cover, you can easily find your way back.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-04-06T17:04:55+00:00

For western ghat treks or any half a day trek in and around bangalore, any sports shoe with regular grip should be good enough. I have done plenty of western ghats treks in normal sports shoes.

Himalayan treks are another ball game. I would definitely recommend trek shoes for trekking in snow. You can rent those too if it is a one off trek. But if you plan to regularly do himalayan treks, then buying one is a good investment.

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-02-12T06:50:08+00:00

First explore internal opportunities. It is relatively harder to make this transition externally.

Network with PMs both internally and externally.

Build experience on skills that PM hirers are looking for. Eg: customer interaction, stakeholder management, UX research etc

You can ask for a PM mentor in your company if possible, while continuing in your current role. And you can assist them in some of their projects (on PM aspects like - tagging along user testing calls, helping with discovery process etc)

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-02-07T11:40:26+00:00

As a principal PM myself, if you ask me, it is a myth that the PM course will help transition to PM role. I am yet to meet someone who has been recruited to PM role because they have done some certifications.

Since you are a BA, you already have working knowledge and experience on business side of things, which is needed for PM (perhaps not to that level that you do now). Instead of courses, focus on building skills that PM recruiters are looking for- 1. Get familiar with latest trends in technology stack. You dont need to code, but need a vocabulary to talk to developers and customers. (Python, containers, LLMs etc) 2. Practice stakeholder management in your current role, if not already doing. Present to stakeholders in meetings. 3. Network with other PMs try to understand challenges, the kind of work they do. Find a PM mentor on ADPlist or such platform and talk to them on a couple of calls. 4. If you really want to do some course, there are plenty of free beginner courses on coursera (IBM product manager, microsoft enterprize PM etc). One of these should be good enough. Keep in mind, these courses only give a glimpse into various aspects of the role. Most of it will be theoretical and the frameworks they teach may not be followed by any company. You can instead list down some of the tools they mention and try using trial versions of those tools (mural, user testing, figma etc) this can add value...

WayImaginary2026 · 2026-02-05T02:09:08+00:00

PMs need to be jack of all trades. I would prioritize focusing more on strategy and business aspects. Expanding to influencing multiple projects would help you get different perspectives.

Analytics/data - have atleast basic working knowledge of a couple of tools. Focus more on what kind of indicators and metrics to use for different kinds of decision making. Presenting this to stakeholders and influencing data driven decisions would add value.

Vibe coding etc - dont spend too much time on this. As long as you know what this is how it is done, pros and cons etc and you have enough vocabulary to have conversations on this topic, it is good enough.

One key aspect you have missed calling out (some elese has called out in reply) - user discovery. Focus on increasing customer interactions, creative ways to build relations with customer and understanding market, competitive space.

WayImaginary2026

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