GEMs is official!

This week our new flyers and posters arrived, professionally designed and printed with the hospital logo! We are officially a hospital-associated-and-supported group!

We had a couple of new faces this month, along with some familiar beauties!  We talked about different scenarios for transitioning the babies to breast, and about finally initiating feeds, making all the pumping worth it!  We also discussed low supply: medications (Reglan, Domperidone, Fenugreek) and pumping tips to increase supply (pump both breasts at the same time)!

We also had our friend and colleague Celeste join us, she just certified to become a Breastfeeding Counselor and will be a huge resource to our moms, especially on night shift!  Another friend/co-worker, Emily, attended and spoke about her ability to better help our NICU moms as she is a breastfeeding/pumping mom herself!  I would love to see more of our colleagues show an interest and attend our meetings...they will learn so much about our moms, and how to troubleshoot any problems!

Our giveaways this month: another framed Alphabet Print by Almost Sunday Designs and a Boppy Cover by Bibs, Blankets, and More!

Mmm...seasonal pumpkin muffins made by Kim, and who doesn't love a doughnut hole?!

Thanks for joining us this month ladies!  What you're doing is amazing, and despite all the stress and downfalls you continue to dedicate yourselves to providing your precious baby with potentially life-saving and definite life-improving nutrition!

Back to school, back to GEMs!

This month we met with five beautiful and committed women!  Each were willing to share her story and her frustrations with pumping, low supply, and breastfeeding.  Most of all, they were there for each other, offering suggestions and personal experience.  Almost every mom commented that the most helpful part of the group was hearing each other's experiences and tribulations.  One mom said, "it was very uplifting, made me feel more calm about the whole thing", and another mentioned it was helpful "just being able to hear other people have the same issues".

We discussed the common problem of low milk supply, as well as the frustration of pumping and pumping and pumping, when a baby is unable to even begin feeding yet.  It is important to acknowledge the hard work and effort (mental and physical) that goes into pumping breast milk eight times a day!  It is so easy to say "Enough! I'm done!".  But for one reason or another these moms push through, and it is important to encourage them, cheer them on, and let them know how important their breast milk is for their child's recovery...something no doctor/nurse can provide!

I applaud all of you moms out there who are pumping for your babies, especially the sick little ones!  It's also good to be there for each other, share your successes and frustrations as you may inspire and help another mom!  No matter your milk supply, keep it up, even the smallest amounts of milk can provide HUGE protection for your infants!

We also had a couple of moms who were transitioning their babies to breast, and we discussed optimal feeding schedules and ways to advocate for their desire to successfully breastfeed to the medical teams!  With the right support from nurses, practitioners, and doctors, breastfeeding a once-sick, NICU baby can be successful!

Our dedicated Mamas!

We offered Fenugreek tea to help with low milk supply!

Delicacies provided by our friends Sherry and Rebekah, NICU Breastfeeding Committee members!

Our giveaway, courtesy of Almost Sunday Designs!  How cute!

Thanks for a wonderful group this month!

Feeling refreshed...

Next Friday we are resuming our monthly GEMs meetings!  The group will meet every second Friday of each month, same location, same time...so hopefully our Moms can better anticipate the sessions!

Thanks to my wonderful collaegue and friend, Ali, we have exciting giveaways to last us through the end of the year, as well as special events for the Moms!

Next week, we will be raffling off two Framed Alphabet Prints from Almost Sunday Designs, which can help cozy up a hospital room, or compliment a nursery!

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!!!!