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Breastfeeding a NICU Baby

4/25/2017

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Having a baby in the NICU can be extremely stressful and traumatic for families. Moms who want to breastfeed experience additional stress because they are separated from their babies most of the day.

Pumping milk for your NICU baby is worth the effort!
  • You are providing your baby with something that no one else can provide.
  • There is no medicine that can protect or nourish your baby better than your own milk.
  • During times that you are away from your baby, thinking about your baby while pumping milk can help you feel close and connected to your baby.
  • Your milk is targeted specially for your baby. The more time you spend in the NICU, the more specialized your milk becomes to your baby’s environment. Your milk produces the specific antibodies needed to protect your baby from the pathogens in his environment.
  • Studies show that babies in the NICU who receive breast milk have fewer infections and better visual acuity than babies who receive no breast milk.

If you have any questions about pumping milk for your NICU baby, I can help you. I have experience in the NICU both as an RN and as an IBCLC.  
  • I can help you in your home, even if your baby has not come home yet, if you need a plan for pumping or strategies to increase your milk supply while you’re separated from your baby.
  • I can help you in your home after your baby gets home, if you need help getting your baby to latch and feed well at the breast. Sometimes babies who have been in the NICU need some extra help to breastfeed well. A little coaching goes a long way!

In-home consultations are usually available within 24 hours of your request. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to call and get help! 

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How Long Should I Breastfeed?

3/22/2016

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The answer depends on whom you ask, so let’s ask the experts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend breast milk only for baby’s first 6 months of life, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of solid foods from 6 months to at least one year.

Many studies worldwide have shown that the health benefits of breastfeeding to mom and baby are dose-dependant, meaning, more is better. For example, the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her lifetime risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses. This longevity affect is cumulative, so breastfeeding multiple babies increases the protective power of breast milk on mom’s health.

Furthermore, the health benefits to the baby are increased the longer the baby breastfeeds. The longer the baby breastfeeds, the less likely he will experience health risks such as childhood cancer, diabetes, obesity, and certain infections. Older babies and toddlers still need immunity protection from breast milk because their immune systems are not mature yet. There is great nutritional value for a toddler in his mom’s breast milk.

Studies have also demonstrated that children who were held often and for long duration as babies, and who received comfort from breastfeeding as toddlers, grow to develop confidence and independence. When toddlers learn that they are safe and nurtured, they grow into confident children.


The American culture has decided that breastfeeding older babies or toddlers is weird, and that cultural norm hurts our babies and families. Worldwide, and throughout history, babies have been breastfed well into childhood, and this practice has been perfectly normal and healthy for children and communities.

​It is important for you to decide how long to breastfeed your baby based on the scientific facts of the health and emotional benefits to you and your baby from extended breastfeeding as well as the impact that breastfeeding has on your family. If you decide to continue breastfeeding beyond your baby’s first birthday, you are perfectly normal! You and your baby will benefit, and there is nothing harmful about this practice. Feed on, mama!

Click here for the AAP policy statement on breastfeeding.


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    Author

    Beth Sanders, BSN, RN, IBCLC

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