One day, Kim told me a story of a critically-ill patient who was once on heart-lung bypass and recently had been doing great, was on full breast milk feeds, and almost ready to go home! Wonderful! Except, the baby was bottle feeding every feed and NO ONE told mom that her baby could finally attempt at-breast feeds!
Most of our NICU moms give up on their plans to breastfeed, deeming it impossible since their baby is hospitalized (it is possible!). And although some of our moms are committed to exclusively pumping and bottle feeding their child, for most, pumping-feeding-washing all day long is tedious work! Other moms are never supported in transitioning their baby to breast in the hospital and then unsuccessfully try on their own to breastfeed at home. Sadly, many moms give up on providing breast milk for their child once they are discharged home (sometimes even before they go home) even though the AAP recommends six months to one year of breast milk for all infants (and especially important for sick infants)!
So, how can we support our moms??? There are breastfeeding support groups for healthy babies all over the country, but not one that I could find to support pumping moms with hospitalized babies. This is the population that needs the most support and education! These moms are under a lot of stress, feeling helpless in caring for their child, are often separated from their personal support systems, and feel like they will miss out on the bonding experience of breastfeeding their baby!
Ta-Da! The G.E.M.s Project was born! Group of Empowered Moms is designed to support and encourage all moms with providing human milk for their hospitalized infant. We will educate our moms on the Transition to Breast Pathway and give them the confidence to advocate for their plans to breastfeed to the nursing and medical teams!
I reached out to the Etsy community to help me with this cause, and I am overwhlemed with the encouraging responses and donated handmade goods to gift to our moms! We have received sweet sugar scrubs, cozy boppy covers, adorable burp cloths, and whimsical nursing covers!! Thank you to everyone who is helping us make this support group a success!
I hope you continue to follow us along this G.E.M.s adventure, as I will post regular updates and pictures!!!!
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