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Feeding Baby with Breast Milk
Feeding Baby with Breast MilkNarratorBreast milk is the mainstay of any baby’s diet, especially important for NICU babies. With so many goodimportant nutrients, it is often called “the baby’s first medicine.”Erin Hamilton Spence, MD, NeonatologistThe importance of breast-feeding for babies who come to the NICU is that we view mother's milk as a lifesaving medicine for these babies.Wendy Slusser, MDBreast milk can protect against many infectious diseases that the child might be presented with in the NICU,and the reasons are, that one: it carries antibodies that the mother has produced that are reflective of herantibodies that she has made over her lifetime. The second is it has anti-inflammatory properties, which is amore general way to protect against illness.NarratorMany preemies in the NICU aren’t ready for breastfeeding right away.Kara Calkins, MDA question parents often ask is when can you breast feed. So first and foremost we have to make sure it's safefor a baby to breast-feed. So we need to make sure that the baby is breathing appropriately, if it's safe to feedthe baby, we can provide them breast milk either in a bottle or through a tube in the nose or the mouth.NarratorBreast pumping is the way mom can begin to feed their baby even when they aren’t ready to breastfeed.Erin Hamilton Spence, MD, NeonatologistPumping helps you establish your milk supply and it's absolutely essential to being able to successfully breastfeed and to lactate eventually, once your baby is safe enough to breast-feed.Shanel Villa, MotherI’m pumping for my daughter who is in the NICU, and the benefits for her, I’ve been told it helps her intestines.It’s like a medicine for her. There is nothing better than a mother’s milk, so I’m going to do all I can so she canget out of here faster.Jessica Sacher, Lactation ConsultantIn my role here I'm primarily working with the moms to help establish their milk supply, get them pumping earlyon as soon after delivery as possible, and then we work with them to help them maintain and keep their milksupply.Orly Elyashar, MotherI actually started pumping yesterday and throughout the night I've just progressed. More and more milk hascome in, which I'm very happy about. I know a lot of women who have reservations about pumping. You kindof have to suck it up and do it.Jessica Sacher, Lactation ConsultantThe pumps that we use here, they're hospital grade pumps and they're very smooth, and they're verycomfortable.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.NICU00011 EN FeedingBabyWithBreastMilk.docx© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2Feeding Baby with Breast MilkOur breast milk here is stored either in the refrigerator or in the freezer. So ideally we want moms to pumpabout eight times in 24 hours, and that works out to pumping about every two to three hours during the daywith one four to five hour sleep stretch at night.NarratorEventually baby will be ready to breastfeed with mom. There is no better bonding experience in the world.Sarah Cohen, MotherI started right away breast-feeding her, and it's actually a lot more challenging than I thought it was going to be.And that's again where the nurses' guidance has been just so helpful and teaching me different techniques,and just ways to get her to latch on.I think it's a process of learning each other and getting into our groove.Jessica Sacher, Lactation ConsultantPeople think that breast-feeding is really intuitive. But to actually get a baby to eat from the mother's breast in acoordinated manner is a learned process between mother and baby.Starla Young, MotherBreast-feeding means the world to me. It's the world to me. Can't describe it. Gets me all teary-eyed. It justgets your heart going and you feel really close to them. It's a bond I can't even describe. So it's really great.Jessica Sacher, Lactation ConsultantWhen the mothers are going to go to breast- feed the first time, very often we'll start putting that baby just skinto skin with the mother. And we think of that mother's skin, like from her chest to her torso is really like thebaby's home habitat, and very often those babies will start to migrate toward the breast and start looking andseeking out the breast in search of food.NarratorBefore going home, make sure that your schedule for pumping and breastfeeding is firmly established. And ifyour baby is not taking all feedings at the breast at the time of discharge, have a plan for how you will graduallyincrease your breastfeeding at home, while continuing to provide the rest of the feedings by bottle asrecommended by your baby’s doctor.Wendy Slusser, MDOne of the messages that I think is really important about breast feeding and really having a successfulexperience is asking for help from the get go because that's when you have a lot of people around that canhelp you in the hospital. So never be too afraid to ask.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.NICU00011 EN FeedingBabyWithBreastMilk.docx© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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Watch this program to learn about the different types of formula and how to choose the right formula for your baby.
Watch this video to learn how to choose a breast pump, the three basic types of pumps, and how to use one.
Watch this video for a Checklist of the how to safely store freshly expressed or pumped breast milk.
Watch this video to learn how to safely warm and prepare stored breast milk.
