Northside Hospital - Special Beginnings

Breastfeeding Plan for Discharge

Call the lactation center a few days before you go home to make an appointment and develop a home feeding plan. Remember to bring a cooler to take home any stored breast milk. When the day finally arrives to take your baby home, you may feel apprehensive and have lots of questions. You may have had limited opportunities to breastfeed while your infant was hospitalized. Depending on your baby’s endurance and pediatrician’s advice you may gradually increase your breastfeeding sessions after discharge. It is important to let your baby serve as a guide for determining readiness to feed at the breast. Look for feeding cues such as rooting, mouthing motions or bringing hand or fist to mouth are all signs that indicate your baby is ready to feed. Arching the back and neck, fussiness or coughing, sneezing or yawning may be an indication that attempting breastfeeding would better be deferred to another time.

It is critical that you continue pumping to keep your milk production high. When mothers maintain their milk supply, milk flows easily so baby will be more willing to breastfeed. It is common for premature babies to receive supplements while they are learning to breastfeed. Both expressed breast milk and infant formula may be used depending on your baby’s health care provider’s recommendations. As exclusive breastfeeding evolves over a period of days or weeks, your pediatrician will guide the number of times to breastfeed per day and the amount of supplementation. Careful attention and tracking of your baby’s wet and soiled diapers will assure that your infant is getting enough. Keeping a feeding log will help you assess your infant’s feeding progress and provide useful information for the pediatrician.

Conclusion

From the moment you became pregnant, you learned, researched and understood about the importance of breast milk and the nutritional value for your newborn. You prepared yourself for this exciting and happy event in every way possible to start your new life experience as a healthy family unit. But when your baby is born too early or is sick, it can be a very frightening experience. You will have times when you will feel sad or discouraged because you have to pump your breast milk instead of breastfeeding from the start. Remember, he is still receiving the best gift ever…your breast milk and special attention from his health care team. Everyone at Northside Hospital understands this is a difficult time for you. To help make it easier, the staff will work with you and other family members to help you understand what is happening and how you can be involved in the care of your baby.

38 Special Beginnings in the Special Care Nurseries