Pumping in the Hospital for a NICU Baby

Having your baby admitted to the NICU can be unplanned, and emotional for parents. For breastfeeding moms, a hospital grade breast-pump may become their new, and unwelcome best friend.

Hello new mom, we'll be getting to know each other intimately!

You never imagined that you and your baby would be separated in the hospital, but now here you are, in your postpartum room, with your baby down the hall in the neonatal intensive care unit. You're grateful for the specialized care he is receiving, but feeling emotional, worried, and sad that he isn't strong enough to be with you. A nurse rolled a pump into your room and showed you how to use it, and even though you followed her instructions, you only got drops. Or maybe, the only thing you noticed was some moisture in the pump flange. Does this mean you won't make very much milk?

For NICU moms who are pumping, getting only drops in the early days is typical, but it can be very frustrating. Another common phenomenon is getting a few mls from the first pumping session, but then dwindling amounts with subsequent sessions, decreasing to absolutely nothing! We call this "the dry spell." It's nothing to worry about, but sometimes new moms lose their motivation to pump when they aren't collecting anything, especially when their baby is receiving donor human milk in the NICU. It’s helpful to keep in mind a few things. First of all, pumping gets your lactation hormones circulating, and often you can feel this happening as your uterus cramps and you begin to feel sleepy. Pumping is sending important milk-making signals, even if the output is minimal. Secondly, as you do begin to collect small amounts in syringes, know that your colostrum is highly specialized, when compared to donor human milk, or formula. Colostrum is packed with antibodies, and when you've delivered a preterm baby, your preterm colostrum is even more specialized to provide exactly what your baby needs. Donor human milk is a wonderful resource, but it’s typically provided by moms who have older babies. It still contains antibodies, but not in the high concentrations that colostrum has. Also, donor human milk is pasteurized, which kills some of the live components. (but not all of them) As a NICU mom, you need a lot of encouragement to pump around the clock as you wait for your mature milk to arrive, so let your support team know to offer some cheerleading! And in the meantime, the benefit your baby gets from the unique quality of your colostrum, is unmatched!

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