With it the baby can be given higher concentrations of sugar and calories. When the baby is ready, milk feedings are begun. All babies of this size are too small and weak to suck on the breast or bottle. Several methods of tube feeding allow dripping the milk into the stomach or intestine without stressing the baby. Gavage feedings involve passing a tube through the mouth or nose and into the stomach.
Milk is dripped in by gravity.
Because most small premature babies are fed every 3 hours, the tube may be taped in place so that it does not have to be put into the stomach each time the baby is fed. Very small babies may be fed small amounts continuously so the stomach is never overfilled. A feeding tube that passes through the nose and the stomach and into the intestine is called a nasojejunal tube. It allows milk to be fed directly into the intestine and avoids filling the stomach. Some nurseries encourage mothers to pump their breasts so breast milk is available for their babies.