Feeding

Before your baby was born, you may have spent time imagining their birth, or holding and caring for your baby. You may have even spent time thinking about how you planned to feed after their arrival. When your baby is born premature or sick and admitted into a NICU or SCN you may find yourself needing to adjust these dreams.

For parents and their new baby, feeding can be a time when relationships are formed and bonds are forged, however for parents of premature babies it can also be a great source of anxiety and concern.

In the womb, your baby will have got all of their nutrients via the placenta and umbilical cord. When a baby is delivered prematurely or sick, they will need to receive these vital nutrients in a variety of ways.

Breast milk has many important health benefits for all babies’ especially premature and sick newborns however at first your baby may be too small or sick to breast feed. Initially you may need to express your milk for feeds which are given to your baby by tube into their stomach.

For most mothers expressing and breast feeding can be one of the most beneficial and rewarding things they can do for their baby, but it can at times be exhausting and challenging.

You may have different feelings about expressing and breast feeding, before making your decision, have a think about the following;

• Breast milk provides better nutrient absorption, digestive functioning, and nervous system development.
• The colostrum (first milk) is rich in antibodies called immunoglobins and coats the GI tract, stomach and intestines providing protection from viruses and bacteria.
• Mothers of premature babies produce milk that is higher in nitrogen, protein, lipids, fatty acids, vitamins, calcium, and other vital elements important to the development of premmies.
• Breast milk antibodies protect your baby from viruses such as gastroenteritis, sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis
• Research shows it reduces the risk of conditions such as allergies, asthma and eczema
• The varying composition of breast milk keeps pace with the baby’s changing nutritional needs
• Breast milk has vital long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential in brain development.
• For mothers there is a reduced risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and fractures from osteoporosis
• Breastfeeding is convenient, nothing to wash, sterilise or prepare.

It is important to begin expressing soon after your baby’s birth to help your body to produce milk. Expressing and breast feeding is a skill that can take time to learn, your midwife, baby’s nurse or hospital's lactation consultant can be very helpful.

At first, the milk you express is colostrum and it is very concentrated. You will only produce a small amount, but it is absolute liquid gold and every bit counts! Due to the thick, sometimes sticky consistency you may find it easier to hand express and use a syringe to collect as much colostrum as you can.

Regular expressing acts as breast stimulation to assist the breasts as they build milk volume over the next few days. Once your mature milk comes in you will need to express frequently to establish and maintain your milk supply (8-10 times a day), but once your supply is established you may be able to reduce the number of times you express.