Can I breastfeed in the NICU?
A neonatal intensive care unit, commonly referred to as a NICU, is a special unit in a hospital dedicated to caring for premature or ill newborns. If your baby is admitted to the NICU, depending on your baby’s health and complications, breastfeeding can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean your baby can’t eventually enjoy the benefits of breast milk.
The first consideration about whether your baby can be breastfed in the NICU will be your baby’s medical condition. In higher level NICUs, some premature babies are unable to be fed at all and will be fed intravenously as they develop and grow stronger. In other cases, babies might have conditions that make breastfeeding impossible but may be able to be fed pumped breast milk via a tube inserted into their stomach. The doctors and nurses in NICU strongly believe in the importance of breast milk and will advise you on how to proceed.
If breastfeeding is a possibility, you should consult with a lactation specialist in conjunction with the specially trained NICU staff. They will be able to coordinate a plan for breastfeeding as a goal.
For babies born close to their gestational full-term, breastfeeding can generally be initiated in the NICU, along with skin-to-skin contact. To help your baby gain weight, your lactation consultant might recommend both breastfeeding and supplementing with pumped breast milk. If you cannot pump for whatever reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests using banked human breast milk as a possible alternative.
If your baby might not be coming home for a while, investing in a breast pump or renting one can help new mothers with their milk supply. Your lactation consultant or the NICU nurses can advise you on how often you should pump. You can date the label and store your milk. If it will be a bit longer until your baby is ready to feed, you can freeze breast milk until it’s needed.
Most of all, remember that bringing home a healthy baby is the most important thing. Sometimes breastfeeding is too challenging, given an infant’s condition. So don’t feel bad if you are unable to breastfeed — your baby will be receiving the best care possible in the NICU unit.
Takeaways
- The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages breastfeeding or the use of breast milk in sick or premature infants.
- For babies born close to their gestational full-term, breastfeeding can generally be initiated in the NICU along with skin to skin contact.
- Ask to speak to the hospital lactation specialist as soon after delivery as possible if you would like to breastfeed your NICU baby.
- If your baby isn’t ready to be breastfed, you can freeze your breast milk until it’s needed.
My son was born 4 weeks early, and I tried breastfeeding, but it didn’t work. He was unable to latch correctly, and it led to me being severely depressed due to him being inconsolable during the short periods of trying to latch before giving him a bottle… I wasn’t told about breast pump availability until the 2nd day after his birth. I began pumping then, and continued to pump while he was in the NICU (he was released at 9 days old), and then continued to pump until he turned 16 weeks old. Every few days, I would try to latch him, and at 16 weeks it finally worked. So many people told me it was a waste of time and that it was impossible for him to ever breastfeed now that he was used to the bottle, but we proved them all wrong. He is about to turn 9 months old next week, and we are continuing on our breastfeeding journey still, conquering each little bump in the path.
Thank you for sharing your story! Breastfeeding is not easy but your determination really paid off. As you said, there are bumps in the road along the way but it’s great we have this site and the Bundoo Community so that we can support each other and offer tips!
Great article! My daughter was born 5.5 weeks early and spent 2 weeks in the NICU. I pumped around the clock and she was given pumped milk through her NG tube until we were given the go ahead to put her to breast. The NICU is an exhausting, overwhelming place and the breast pump felt like the only “right” thing I could do at the time for my daughter. It was hard, but I’m so glad I stuck it out!
Great job for your little one! So glad you were able to do that for her!