Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby
Giving birth to a premature or other high-risk baby or babies does not mean that you
can't breastfeed. In fact, it's important that you do provide your own milk and breastfeed.
Providing your milk for your baby lets you care for your baby in a very important
way. The benefits of mother's milk are very important to the high-risk newborn. You
are able to do something for your baby that no one else can.
Breastfeeding may also be called chest feeding. Breastmilk may be called human milk.
Benefits of mother's milk for the premature baby include:
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Better digestion and digestive function
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Fewer infections
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Better brain and eye development
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Better health benefits for you and better bonding with the baby
How your milk will be used by the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) depends on the
health status of your baby. Even babies who are not eating yet will benefit from breastmilk.
The nurses will use your milk to clean your baby's gums. This is called oral care.
This adds healthy bacteria to your baby's body. As your baby gets stronger, your milk
will be used to give them calories through a tube or bottle. When it can be done,
the NICU staff will help your baby breastfeed to get milk. As the mother of a high-risk
newborn, you may have to overcome problems that a mother and full-term healthy baby
are unlikely to have when learning to breastfeed. But you and your baby will learn
to breastfeed. It may take a bit more patience and work. How soon you and your baby
can start to breastfeed will depend on how mature your baby's brain and body systems
are.
Until your baby is able to fully breastfeed, express your milk. Expressing means removing
milk from your breasts regularly. This helps your breasts start and continue making
breastmilk. Milk expression also allows your high-risk baby to get the benefits of
your milk as soon as their digestive tract is ready to handle feedings. Plan to continue
to express your milk until you know your baby is able to get all the milk directly
from your breasts. As soon as your baby is stable, ask the healthcare providers and
nurses when you can hold your baby skin-to-skin. This is called kangaroo care. It's
good for your premature baby's overall health as well as breastfeeding.