Breastfeeding the premature baby
Very few babies born prematurely in North America end up breastfeeding exclusively even once they leave hospital. There are many obstacles put in the way of breastfeeding premature babies.
The attached photo shows a premature baby born at 28 weeks gestation and breastfeeding at the age of 10 days.
Myth #1: premature babies need to live in incubators.
Premature babies are more stable skin to skin with the mother than in an incubator?https://ibconline.ca/premature1/.?In fact, the sicker the baby, the more this is true because skin to skin is what supports the physiological function of every system in the baby's body. The link?https://ibconline.ca/premature1/lists?several articles how Kangaroo Mother Care supports the physiological function of every system in the baby's body. Breastfeeding is much more likely to work well when the baby is in Kangaroo Mother Care.
Myth #2: premature babies cannot breastfeed until they are at least 34 weeks gestation.
Many premature babies can latch on and breastfeed (and receive milk) even by 28 weeks gestation and most well before 34 weeks gestation?https://ibconline.ca/premature2/?See the attached photo.
Myth #3: “non-nutritive sucking” is a good way to teach premature babies to breastfeed
How does this even make sense? There seem to be two reasons for some neonatal special care units to ask mothers to “empty” their breasts (and yes, the milk is fed to the baby by nasogastric tube or bottle) and only then put the baby to the breast. 1. To prevent the baby from “accidentally getting milk” before he is ready to suck and swallow, and thus aspirating milk. It is reasonable to ask why is a baby more likely to aspirate at the breast than from a bottle or nasogastric tube? And 2. So that the staff can measure how much the baby gets from the breast. Oh, we love to measure and there are rules about how much a baby of such and such weight should get, but this process often results in mothers and babies never really breastfeeding successfully.
This notion also “supports” the idea that premature babies need to use pacifiers to learn to suck “before they are ready to swallow”.
Myth #4: Breastfeeding tires out premature babies (the same is said about term babies and babies with cardiac problems)
This notion seems to come from the idea that “babies transfer milk”. But babies do not transfer milk (I posted on this issue a couple of weeks ago). Mothers transfer milk?https://ibconline.ca/who-transfers/. But starting with the obvious "truth" that “babies transfer milk”, essentially, that babies “suck milk out of the breast”, breastfeeding is felt to be “hard work” and babies fall asleep at the breast because they tire out. In fact, babies of any age tend to fall asleep at the breast when the flow of milk slows down not necessarily if they have had enough milk to satisfy their hunger.
Myth #5: Premature babies need to learn how to bottle feed before they can breastfeed
This one is still around. Never made sense and still doesn’t.
The use of bottles in NICUs usually results in very few premature babies leaving hospital exclusively breastfeeding.
Myth #6: Most premature babies need “human milk” fortifier.
“Human milk” fortifier is misnamed and is formula milk, and makes many, even health professionals, think that it’s made from breastmilk. Most such products are made from cow’s milk. “Human milk fortifier” has been associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). If a premature baby needs extra nutrients and/or volume, these can be given with banked breastmilk, which is used more and more in some, but not all, special care units.
True, some "human milk fortifiers" are now made with human milk, and studies show that the babies fed these are much less likely to develop necrotizing enterocolitis, which is one of the major killers of premature babies.
Please consider buying and recommending my new book: What Doctors Don’t Know About breastfeeding
Print version and ebook version on Amazon:?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WC2HCC6
Print version on Praeclarus site:?https://stores.praeclaruspress.com/what-doctors-dont-know-about-breastfeeding-by-jack-newman-and-andrea-polokova/?showHidden=true
Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC
Area sales manager
2 年Truly said Jack Newman Even in my 2 years of research i have find out 3 main problems why infants are not getting exclusive breastfeeding 1.Lack of awareness 2.Lack of education 3.Lack of support or help I find out 11 challenges why mothers are not fulfilling the Exclusive breastfeeding... And i published my first book. We have to do Collaborative Care Model...
Board member at Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health
2 年Even if the baby has been fed a bottle in the hospital, you can transition to breastfeeding if you had been pumping your breastmilk for that bottle. We did it in 2 weeks and the baby is completely breastfed. Kangaroo Care is best on momma's breast, but it they don't support that in the NICU, you can still have hope! Learned so much from you Jack!
Southern Hospitality Home Care
2 年Hospitals need to change! Such great info!
VP of Clinical Services -Specialty Care Management - Dialysis Risk Mitigation
2 年#MythsShattered!