June GEMs

We welcomed Five new moms to the group this month!  One participant was even from a unit other than the NICU!

We discussed mostly about building up milk supply: frequent pumping, completely emptying the breasts at each pump, keeping a pumping log (they have Apps for this!), staying hydrated, skin-to-skin, Fenugreek/Fennel, and Domperidone (prescribed by the OB).

One mom suggested handing out written information on supply and other troubleshooting, which is a great idea!

Three moms walked walked away with donated goodies : one Boppy, donated by our own NICU Preemie Committee, dressed with a handmade cover by Little Fingers Gifts; a Gift Certificate to a wonderful baby boutique, Nurture; a boppy cover hand created by Bibs Blankets and More.

The mouth-watering refreshments were donated by Kristin and Lindsay, both NICU Breastfeeding Committee members.

Thanks for all the donations, and a special Thanks to our moms for a great group!

Best for Babes

Diane Spatz, my friend and mentor in all that is related to my career advancement into lactation, just provided an interview for Best for Babes!  This website is dedictated to helping moms overcome the obstacles (cultural, social, physical) that may hinder their goal of breastfeeding their baby!

Diane's interview, "Booby Traps Series: How to to beat the Booby Traps in the NICU", discusses her "10 steps for Promoting and Protecting Breastfeeding for the Vulnerable Infant", which we successfully follow in our clinical setting at CHOP.  Diane has fought for culture change related to breastfeeding and the importance of Human Milk in the NICU.  We view breast milk not only as optimal nutrition, but as infection protection, and as a medical intervention.  We can proudly say that the majority of our NICU moms are pumping, and we are working with Nursing (and G.E.M.s!) in acheiving that last step towards transitioning the once-sick-but-now-healthy infant to the breast for feeds prior to discharge.  Click on the link above to read Diane's interview!

Success!

A NICU mom recently went home, worrying about supply and milk transfer at the breast.  She was also a little discouraged from the start of her baby's NICU experience when she was told that her newborn would probably be supplemented with formula until her own milk came in.  Many moms make the decision early on in the pregnancy (or before!) to provide only breast milk for their child.  Although a NICU stay entails greater obstacles with going directly to the breast, we have great double-electric pumps to mimic breastfeeding and help moms produce milk for their babies.  This particular mom was heart broken by the fact that her baby received formula in the first few days of life while her milk slowly came in.  She came to one GEMs meeting and I think it help her regain her confidence in her decision to only feed her baby breast milk, and to eventually breastfeed.  With the help of a few Breastfeeding Resource Nurses on the unit, baby was on his way home breastfeeding some of the time.

Then I received an email: "Rosie, you would be so proud.  [We] are successfully nursing in less than 12 hours of being home...omg so happy...I could not have done it without the support from you, Kim, and Mary Lou...no formula in this house!"

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Another NICU baby was just discharged home a week ago.  Mom was a frequent GEMs participant, as her child was born extremely premature and had a long NICU stay.  She was dedicated to pumping to provide her little girl with breast milk, as she breastfed her other children.  Some preemies, even when they reach their full term age, have difficulties feeding by mouth, and often go home with a feeding tube.  This mom was able to attempt at-breast feeds, but baby could not exclusively feed at the breast and went home with a tube.  Mom was also having issues with a decrease in milk supply as the discharge date approached.  She attended the Medela Bra Event, and I was able to give her some at-home pumping advice, and recommended a hands-free pumping bra, so she could pump and keep her other kids busy at the same time!

Once home, Mom emailed me: "Pumping is going so much better...sometimes she breastfeeds. Thanks so much for your support it made all the difference.  I told my husband that some day I want to help other moms breastfeed...I learned so much about it at the hospital, a lot of that is thanks to you!"

Wow!  My goal is to educate and empower our moms...but to inspire them to help other moms is BEYOND my expectations, and makes me so proud!

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These stories keep me motivated, and reminds me that the need for lactation education and support is essential for moms of hospitalized babies to provide breast milk and/or breastfeed their infants.  These moms went home with a feeling of accomplishment and pride in knowing they are providing the best nutrition and immune protection for their baby, despite a hospital experience during which they felt they could do little else for their baby's recovery!

Keep your stories coming, Ladies...they are truly inspiring!!!!

Bra Fitting Event!

Thursday, May 31st, 10am to 2pm!

Did you know a snug or underwire bra can occlude milk ducts, which can lead to clogged ducts, mastitis, or low milk supply?  Women's breasts increase in size during pregnancy, and even more after delivery, through the first few months of breastfeeding, deeming it necessary to purchase a proper-fitting bra!  Also, the clasps on nursing bras offer easy-access for breastfeeding and also pumping!

Medela representatives will be on site at the hospital to perform bra fittings for our pregnant/nursing/pumping moms and employees!  Everyone will have the opportunity to purchase a custom Medela/Bravado brand nursing bra at a 10% DISCOUNT!

Complimentary Medela products and refreshments offered!

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!