Sorry Mamas and Friends...

...July and August have been slacking!  Our GEMS group last month brought in one NICU mama, and although she was grateful for the individual guidance, I was a bit deflated!  So, we took a break in August to regroup, and to find more donations from awesome Etsy shops to gift to our moms!

My friend Ali has been stalking Etsy diligently to find awesome, whimsical, therapeutic gifts for our moms!  Some of the things our participants will be gifted are framed wall art, nursing covers, boppy covers, baby wraps, burp cloths, and massages (yes!)!

Kim and I are also rescheduling our group to every second Friday of each month, so moms can better anticipate the meetings!  Our next meeting will be Friday, September 14th!

On another note, last week was World Breastfeeding Week, and the United States Breastfeeding Committee announced that August is now officially Breastfeeding Month!!!  I want to congratulate all of you who have struggled or succeeded in breastfeeding or pumping breast milk for your babies (no matter for how long), and to those of you who have educated and supported a mom's wish to provide human milk for her baby!  It is not always an easy task, and I hope with the right education and support you continue to try and provide the best nutrition and infection protection for your little ones!

A special shout-out to my colleague and friend, Mary Lou, who won the Hospital Wide Breastfeeding "STAR" award for Breastfeeding Resource Nurse! She and 6 other nominees were acknowledged for their Support, Teaching, Advocacy, and Resource to staff and moms in the hospital!

Some awesome sites to visit:

www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org
www.bestforbabes.org
www.usbreastfeeding.org

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!