Breastfeeding Tips for NICU Parents

Breastfeeding in the NICU can be a different experience compared to feeding a full-term, healthy baby at home. Parents may need to adapt to their baby’s specific needs and the NICU environment.

Here are some links that you may find helpful:

Here are some ways a parent can breastfeed in the NICU:

1. Direct Breastfeeding

When the baby is stable enough, skin-to-skin care (kangaroo care) can facilitate direct breastfeeding.
Lactation consultants or nurses may help position the baby to latch effectively.
Mothers might need to use nipple shields if the baby has trouble latching, especially if they were born prematurely.

2. Pumping and Bottle-Feeding

Many NICU babies may not yet have the ability to latch and feed directly due to immaturity or health challenges.
Using a hospital-grade breast pump ensures milk expression, which can be fed to the baby via bottles, feeding tubes, or syringes.
Pumping on a schedule similar to a newborn’s feeding routine (every 2-3 hours) helps maintain milk supply.

3. Cup Feeding or Syringe Feeding

For babies unable to breastfeed or bottle-feed, expressed breast milk can be fed using alternative methods like cups or syringes.

4. Use of Supplemental Nursing Systems (SNS)

A thin tube attached to the nipple delivers expressed milk or donor milk while the baby is latched to the breast. This encourages breastfeeding while providing additional nutrition.

5. Kangaroo Care with Milk Drip

During kangaroo care, some mothers express a small amount of milk to drip onto the nipple to encourage the baby to lick or suckle, promoting breastfeeding familiarity.

6. Non-Nutritive Suckling (NNS)

Before the baby can take full feeds, they may be encouraged to suckle at the breast after a feeding through a tube or bottle. This helps them practice latching and associate the breast with comfort and feeding.

7. Combination Feeding

If breastfeeding exclusively isn’t possible, mothers may combine breastfeeding with donor milk or formula supplementation as recommended by the NICU team.

8. Milk Fortification

Sometimes, expressed breast milk may be fortified to meet the baby’s higher nutritional needs, especially for preemies. This milk can be provided through various feeding methods.

9. Tele-Lactation or Lactation Consultant Support

Some NICUs offer access to lactation consultants for hands-on or virtual support to help mothers navigate challenges with breastfeeding.

10. NICU Policy and Parental Advocacy

Parents can work with the NICU staff to create a feeding plan tailored to their baby’s needs. Advocating for skin-to-skin time, privacy for pumping, and consistent lactation support can enhance breastfeeding success.

While the NICU experience may present unique challenges, a supportive NICU environment and consistent encouragement can help mothers breastfeed successfully. Every drop of breast milk provides immense health benefits for NICU babies, from boosting immunity to promoting growth and development.