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Golisano Children's Hospital / Breastfeeding & Lactation Medicine / In the NICU

In the NICU

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Congratulations on the birth of your baby. If your baby is being treated in UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), we are here to support you with the challenges you may face with breastfeeding. Each room in the NICU has a hospital-grade breast pump for you to use while you are here.

Inpatient Breastfeeding Support

We have a team of highly trained board-certified lactation consultants and certified lactation counselors who also have experience with fragile babies in the NICU as registered nurses. A lactation consultant is available in the NICU 7 days a week, from 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

To reach an inpatient lactation consultant, ask your nurse to page "Lactation."

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We also offer consultations to help you if breastfeeding isn't going according to plan. We can discuss medications, low milk supply, and other things that may be hindering your goals. Learn more about breastfeeding consults.

Breastfeeding Your Premature or High-Risk Baby

Follow a Schedule for Success

If you had a premature or high-risk baby, it is still possible for you to breastfeed. But because your baby is not yet nursing, you need to tell your body to produce milk. To do this, we recommend that you:

  • Hand express milk within 1 hour of birth.
  • Hand express or pump every 2-3 hours during the day (at least 8 times).
  • Hand express or pump no less than every 5 hours at night.

Baby laying in the NICU

When you have a premature or high-risk baby, keep in mind that it may take up to a week for your milk to come in. Your baby may have less muscle strength, less coordinated suck, swallow, and breathing, or take a longer time getting milk from the breast.

Hand Expression – A step-by-step guide to express your breast milk by hand

Pump on the "Initiation" setting on the pump for 15 minutes for the first 5 days, or until your lactation consultant guides you otherwise. After 5 days or your second milk has come in, switch your pump to the "Maintain/Standard" setting to increase milk production.

Donor Milk Program

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital launched a donor milk program to help provide for the nutritional needs of premature infants. Babies with very low birthweights—those weighing less than 3.3 pounds - now have access to donor breast milk and donor milk products when a mother's own milk is not available.