New Moms in May!

I am excited to announce that we had SIX new Moms join the group this month, and one return participant!

The best advice I gave?  Don't worry about washing pump parts after EACH pump!  Pumping is so tedious and time-consuming, and many moms still have to wake in the middle of the night to pump...and by the time they're done setting up the pump, pumping for 15-20 minutes, labeling/putting milk away, and then CLEANING pump parts....it's time to start the routine all over!  When I was pumping, the BEST advice a mom told me was that breast milk is bactericidal (we give this to our babies to protect them from infection!) and breast milk is good for up to 10 hours at room temp (various resources tell you various times), so why not pump and leave your pump equipment sitting until the next pump, and then clean them after the second pump?  Ok, so I wouldn't leave them in a hot, sunny spot, or for a whole 10 hours between multiple pumps without washing with dish soap, but surely you can skip one cleaning in between two pumps!  Remember, always sterilize your pump equipment once a day...you can use the simple-to-use Medela steam bags, or boil pump parts.

Other alternatives: buy extra pumping equipment (flanges/membranes) so you can alternate between sets and not have to clean after each pumping session.  OR, delegate to your husband, mom, dad, brother, sister, friend to wash for you!  Medela also makes Quick Clean Wipes, that is safe to wipe down pump equipment if dish soap unavailable!

We also discussed Breast Milk Donation for our moms who have an overabundance supply of breast milk!  The Milk Bank of Ohio accepts breast milk from eligible moms, and they test and pasteurize the milk so that other vulnerable infants all over the country can receive the benefits of human milk when it is otherwise unavailable to them!


This month's Giveaway was two handmade nursing covers and burp cloth by Seenie Bee.  Also, we gave away a gift certificate for one custom order nursing bra, at our Medela Bra Fitting Event on May 31st!

Our lovely May Group!

Only crumbs left of this delicious Apple Cake!

Thanks, Ladies, for a great meeting!  Keep up the great work, your babies are so grateful for the milk you are making for them!  I hope to see some of you at our next meeting!

May Flowers...

...hopefully bring in new Mothers!  Our May meeting is next week, Friday May, 18th!

I am so excited to update everyone on one NICU mom who was discharged, BREASTFEEDING!  She emailed me and said, "The group was very helpful, keep it up as I am sure you will help many more moms!!!!"  I'm so proud!

I hope to see new faces next week, since some of our repeat participants have been heading home (which is amazing news)!

May's giveaway will be two gorgeous nursing covers, and a burp cloth, made by a close (and talented) friend at Seenie Bee!

Also, stay tuned for an update on our first ever Medela Bra Fitting Event, being held for all staff, patients, moms at the end of the month!  Women will be properly fitted for nursing bras, and can custom order their own bras!  One lucky GEMS participant will win a free custom order bra!

April Tea Time!

Yesterday afternoon we had our third meeting!  We trialed a new day and time, and we had 2 new Moms join the group!  The Moms are amazing, each dealing with her own stresses and milk supply issues...but they were there for EACH OTHER!  I was so proud to see the Moms giving each other advice and suggestions, and for openly sharing their stories!  I think the Moms are finally feeling a little more comfortable at these meetings...for the first time ever, these ladies went straight for the goodies and refreshments, helped themselves, sat down, and just started the discussion on their own!

I have to mention, and I am so proud, that we had a Dad and Grandmom attend the meeting as well!  This lovely Grandmother proudly announced that she was breastfed for 2 years! It was also amazing to see a husband participate, and support his wife.  Although he seemed a little frightened by the topics of conversation, I know he was listening and I know he will be an even better support to his wife.  I strongly encourage spouses and support persons to come to the meetings, because mothers need these cheerleaders to encourage them to keep going when it seems too treacherous/stressful/tiresome/painful/pointless, and they need to know that their decision to provide breast milk for their baby is accepted and supported!  One mom asked me what to say to her husband who wants her to change to formula once the baby is out of the hospital!  He seems a little grossed out by breastfeeding, and especially by the thought of a baby with teeth still nursing.  This can be difficult because some women may give up breastfeeding due to lack of support from their husbands. What I told her?  Tell your husband that the AAP recommmends at least one year of breast milk for ALL babies, and that switching her son to formula may increase his reflux.  Tell him that children SUCK at the breast, they don't BITE to get the milk out and you will be just fine when the teeth start to come in.  Lastly, I said I could talk to him as a health care professional and tell him that his son needs breast milk for as long as it is available, for his digestion, reflux, and immune protection!

We also discussed low milk supply issues, and recommended a lot of skin-to-skin and non-nutritive sucking, where the baby is put to breast AFTER a pump to practice suckling before they are challenged with milk ejection and swallowing.  We discussed some herbal supplements such as Mother's Milk and Fenugreek, as well as daily oatmeal consumption (apparently it helps one relax and therefore increases oxytocin levels).  More frequent pumps can also help, with complete emptying of the breasts, but Kim made a strong point that sometimes a mom responds better with touch/suckling stimulation from skin-to-skin or non-nutritive sucking as compared to a pump.  So hold your babies ladies!  An important thing to remember, too, is that no matter how LITTLE milk you think you are making, it is still a HUGE contribution to your baby's nutrition, digestion, and the fight against infection!

Another topic of conversation was bra support!  Most women's breasts change in size during pregnancy and often again after delivery!  We had a couple of Moms yesterday who were wearing snug bras or bras from a few years ago!  If too snug/too supportive the bra can actually occlude milk ducts and cause clogging or even low milk supply!  We recommended that the moms go to a maternity store and get fitted for a bra, and to steer away from underwire support.  Maybe we can have a representative from a store come to our next meeting for bra fittings?

We had a spread of juice (thanks, Ashley!), delicious muffins (thanks, Chris!), mixed fruit (thanks, Kim!), chocolate "GEMs", and Keurig drinks (again, not a fan favorite):

We also gave away a Boppy with a beautiful handmade cover by Boutique Sweet Cheeks, shown above, as well as three minky/fabric boppy covers made by House of Henderson!

Our group and prize winners!

Thanks, Moms, for your avid participation, I am so proud of your hard work, and of your openness to share your baby's story, and for supporting each other!  Your group yesterday brought joy and tears to one of the lactation consultant's eyes...we are all so excited about your decision to continue pumping for your delicate little ones!  You are each a true Role Model and an Inspiration for other pumping moms!

April Meeting

We're trying out a new day and time! Tuesday, April 10th @ 5pm!

This month's giveaway...Boppy Covers made by House of Henderson!

Three lucky moms will win these beautiful fabric and minky boppy covers, great for nursing and non-nutritive sucking, but also helps support baby's legs/bottom while doing skin-to-skin care (aka Kangaroo Care)!

Thank you to the NICU and Hospital Wide Breastfeeding Committee for participating in the Pick-a-Prize raffle! We've raised more than we could have imagined for refreshments and goodies for our pumping moms!  A special THANKS to our crafty colleagues who donated their goods and art for the raffle..is was such a success!  Winners of the raffle will be drawn this weekend!

Pick-a-Prize!

On Monday some of our GEMs supporters launched a huge raffle for NICU staff to help raise money for the Group!

It is a "pick-a-prize" raffle, where one can purchase an unlmited number of raffle tickets and place them in any bucket corresponding to a prize!  One ticket = $1.00, OR 8 tickets = $5.00, it's a steal!  The items being raffled (all donated by our crafty NICU nurses!):

A personalized baby onesie/burp cloth

 A basket of baked goodies

 A Nursing Cover (donated by Liliacs & Lollipops)

 Mugs and Keurig Cup Basket

 Framed Professional Photograph of an Italian Getaway

 Decorated ID Badge Clips

 Hand Knitted Item of Choice

Thank you to Jennie and Kim K. for putting it all together, and Ali for all of your help!  Also, MANY, MANY, MANY thanks to our crafty creators for donating their art and goods for this raffle: Redell, Liz, Jenn, Pam, and Morgan!  Staff are really excited to purchase tickets and participate!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Great group on Saturday!  It was intimate, and all familiar faces from our previous meeting! I felt we were able to discuss more at length about some of the concerns the Moms have!  Our moms were also offering advice and support to each other, it was awesome!

One important topic we discussed was how to continue pumping when returning to work! This can be so stressful for any mom, trying to fit in an appropriate number of pumps in a work day.  It is especially stressful for a mom with low milk supply who is eager to give her sick child the best nutrition and immune protection!  It is essential to communicate with colleagues/manager about your plan to pump, and about appropriate locations for pumping, NOT in a bathroom or closet!!  Although difficult to pump every 3-4 hours while at work, it is important not to stress, and to fit pumps in when you can: before going to work, at lunch, and before heading home, before bed.  On the weekends or days off continue with a 6-8 pumps/day schedule.  Too much concern about the perfect pumping schedule is more likely going to lead to quitting, but even four pumps in a day is better than zero!  Also try cutting vertical slits in a sports bra to hold the pump flanges in place, to make the session hands-free!

 "What is Speech Therapy"?  ST assesses our NICU babies for readiness to safely feed by mouth.  They listen and look for suck, swallow, and breathing coordination to make sure the infant isn't aspirating milk into the lungs.  For moms who intend to breastfeed, ST should assess the baby at the breast!  Babies often perform milk transfer better at the breast than by bottle, as they can control flow better!

Cloth versus disposable breast pads?  We recommend using disposable breast pads, as there is a risk for yeast growth in the cloth pads, which can lead to mastitis.  NICU moms often use the hospital washing machines and it may be difficult to optimally wash cloth pads, which should be washed frequently and dried completely to prevent yeast/bacterial growth.  Disposable pads should be changed as they get saturated.

Below is our spread of free goodies for the moms who attended!  Each mom received a hand-sewn satchel for her pumping equipment, Medela lanolin, clean wipes (for cleaning pump parts on-the-go!), breast pads, and our GIVEAWAY of the Month: Tator Tops Nursing Boutique nursing covers and burp cloths!

Winners of our Tator Tops giveaway!

Thank you to my NICU colleagues Sherry, Liz, Ali, and Kim R. for the delicious treats and refreshments!  Kim K. also found Godiva chocolate "GEMS", perfect!

I congratulate all of our NICU moms who continue to pump through the emotional and physical ups and downs!  Remember, breast milk and skin-to-skin are incredibly important to a NICU baby's recovery, and unmatched by anything a doctor or nurse can provide!  Our pumping moms are doing their part in their infants' healing, and we should praise these wonderful ladies for the hard work they put in!  Great Job!

Fundraising!

 Thanks to my friend and colleague, Morgan, for making these beautiful and fun ID Badge Clips!

These clips dress up our BORING employee badges!  They were offered for purchase to staff in the NICU, as well as to members of the CHOP Hospital Wide Breastfeeding Committee!  Our goal is to reach out to other units to raise more funds!

Funds raised go towards refreshments and snacks, and for special gifts for CHOP moms who attend the GEMs group!  Thank you to all who have contributed, either by donation or clip purchase!!

Later this month we hope to hold a small Pick-a-Prize Raffle, featuring items donated by some of our crafty NICU staff!

Stay tuned for updates on our upcoming GEMs meeting, Saturday March 17th, St. Patty's Day!!!