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Thread: Scratching side of face while feeding

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Location
    Pennsylvania
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    Thanked: 1

    Default Scratching side of face while feeding

    So lately while feeding little luna she has been catching the side of her face with her nail while holding onto the nipple causing herself to bleed. She gets so excited when eating and her front paws go nuts so I try holding her foot or putting my finger near that side of the face to prevent her clawing herself but she grunts in protest and stops drinking her milk. I read a post saying neosporin was safe so I put some on the cut. Would it be okay to wrap her in something while feeding or maybe putting her milk in a shallow dish?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Northeast
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    Default Re: Scratching side of face while feeding

    That movement is so elemental to them; it is instinctual - the babies knead around the teat and that causes mom to drop milk to the baby. Of course REAL mama is lying on her back or side which means that baby is actually kneading her stomach, not trying to hold onto a syringe since it doesn't have anything else. If you hold the syringe like the pic, the baby will have the entire side of your hand to push against which is much more natural for them and she won't be hitting her face. I actually always feed this way because I find I have way more control of the syringe and how much milk comes out. When they start getting crazy and can suck the syringe dry, you have to start slowing them down. The best way to do that is to scoot the syringe over (so the nipple sticks out further) just enough so I can wrap my index finger over where plunger of the syringe enters the barrel. Apply pressure there and the plunger stops and so does the milk. Apply just a LITTLE pressure and you can slow the plunger down so milk is coming out but at the rate you choose. I only had the cheap disposable syringes for my first squirrel, and the jerking and shooting of the formula as the plunger started to deteriorate just terrified me. I realized that holding it this way allowed me to push the plunger in from the end with my thumb while simultaneously wrapping my finger around the barrel and using it to slow down and completely control how fast the plunger went in. I can use the most thrashed syringe and still have a perfect flow doing this. It just became the way I hold a syringe, and I soon realized that it also had the benefit of giving him a nice, big place to push and knead when he ate.

    It is easier with a bigger hand!
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  3. 2 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to CritterMom:

    RockyPops (05-16-2020), stepnstone (05-16-2020)

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