How long does it take for the baby to recover?
Because the bowel has been outside the abdominal cavity and has been subjected to movement and bruising by the baby's activities, it is often extremely slow to work. Consequently the baby is unable to be fed milk in the usual way for a period of time, usually about 3 - 6 weeks.
During this time your baby will need drip feeds (Parenteral Nutrition) through a centra line or long line. This line is usually placed in a small vein in an arm or leg and fed through into a large vein. It should be possible for the baby to grow quite normally on this form of feeding while the bowel is recovering. Milk feeds will be slowly introduced and increased, as the baby is able to tolerate them. Once recovery has occurred the baby should be able to feed normally, either by bottle or breast.
