Stephanie Hayes

As a doula, I learned a lot about supporting my breastfeeding clients. Now, as a postpartum nurse, I have been able provide the same care to new moms within the first 24-48 hours after birth. Even experienced moms or those who are reported to be breastfeeding well independently will benefit from a feeding assessment and observation. Sometimes simple adjustments and information have a huge impact on the confidence and comfort of a new motherbaby cuplets regardless of whether it’s her first or her tenth. Each baby, influencing birth factors, and potential changes in the mother and her supports can impact each breastfeeding journey differently. Never assume. Always fully assess.

Can’t breastfeed yet because your baby is premature? There are many obstacles put in the way of breastfeeding premature babies. See also Can’t breastfeed becau...se you are taking medications? Posted July 24. The attached photo shows a premature baby born at 28 weeks gestation and breastfeeding at the age of 10 days. Myth #1: premature babies need to live in incubators. Premature babies are more stable skin to skin with the mother than in an incubator http://ibconline.ca/premature1/ In fact, the sicker the baby the more this is true because skin to skin is what supports the physiological function of every system in the baby's body. The link http://ibconline.ca/premature1/lists several articles how Kangaroo Mother Care supports the physiological function of every system in the baby's body. Breastfeeding is much more likely to work well when the baby is in Kangaroo Mother Care. Myth #2: premature babies cannot breastfeed until they are at least 34 weeks gestation. Many premature babies can latch on and breastfeed (and receive milk) even by 28 weeks gestation and most well before 34 weeks gestation http://ibconline.ca/premature2/ See the attached photo. Myth #3: non-nutritive sucking is a good way to teach premature babies to breastfeed How does this make sense? There seem to be two reasons for some neonatal special care units to ask mothers to empty their breasts and only then put the baby to the breast. 1. To prevent the baby from accidentally getting milk before he is ready to suck and swallow, and thus aspirating milk. Why is a baby more likely to aspirate at the breast than from a bottle or nasogastric tube? And 2. So that the staff can measure how much the baby gets from the breast. Oh, we love to measure, but this process often results in mothers and babies never really breastfeeding successfully. This notion also supports the notion that premature babies need to use pacifiers to learn to suck before they are ready to swallow. Myth #4: Breastfeeding tires out premature babies (the same is said about term babies and babies with cardiac problems) This notion seems to come from the idea that babies transfer milk. But babies do not transfer milk . Mothers transfer milk http://ibconline.ca/who-transfers/. But starting with the notion that babies transfer milk, essentially, that babies suck milk out of the breast, breastfeeding is felt to be hard work and babies fall asleep at the breast because they tire out. Babies tend to fall asleep at the breast when the flow of milk slows down. Myth #5: Premature babies need to learn how to bottle feed before they can breastfeed This one is still around. Never made sense and still doesn’t. The use of bottles in NICUs usually results in very few premature babies leaving hospital exclusively breastfeeding. Myth #6: Most premature babies need human milk fortifier. Human milk fortifier is misnamed and is formula milk, and makes many, even health professionals, think that it’s made from breastmilk. Most such products are made from cow’s milk. Human milk fortifier has been associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). If a premature baby needs extra nutrients and/or volume, these can be given with banked breastmilk, which is used more and more in some, but not all, special care units. Want more information on breastfeeding the premature baby? See our eBook "Breastfeeding: Empowering Parents". The eBook contains videos, links to scholarly articles and more: https://ibconline.ca/ebook/. New! An audiobook of my book Dr Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding. https://www.audible.ca//Dr-Jack-Newmans-Guide-/1515933490

We don’t talk a lot about Bereaved Mother’s Day at SGM, because I believe ALL mothers should be honored on Mother’s Day. But for anyone who would like to know......today is Bereaved Mother’s Day. And we honor your motherhood today...just as we do everyday. Mothers missing your babies at any age, we see you. We stand with you. You are a beautiful mother. sufficientgraceministries.org