Medela Neonatal Perspectives

Scientific research has continuously improved our knowledge about human milk and how infants breastfeed. Current research tells us that healthy, term babies use intra-oral vacuum to extract colostrum and milk from the breast.1,2 Understanding how infants apply an irregular vacuum pattern to stimulate the breast and extract colostrum and milk from the breast helps to… Read More about “Two Techniques to Express Human Milk: How They Can Be Complements to One Another”

Our culture heavily emphasizes eating as a response to many situations in our life. If we exercise, we are told to drink lots of water, or even better, consume fancy sports drinks. With prolonged exercising, we are told to eat power fuel foods to keep going. We are told to have the most important meal of the day when we wake… Read More about “Can We Feed Our Way Out of BPD?”

A mother’s culture and family beliefs have a significant effect on her decision to breastfeed, length of breastfeeding, breastfeeding exclusivity, and other infant feeding practices. However, women whose infants are admitted to the NICU have other influences on this decision and continued practice. I remember a period of time when mothers were encouraged to provide… Read More about “How Can NICU Nurses Best Support Breastfeeding?”

Virtually every baby I have seen prefers mother’s own milk to infant formula. As a card-carrying gastroenterologist, it was imperative in training to taste all the infant formulations we prescribed to our patients, including all the elemental formulas with broken down ingredients. This was entertaining for others to watch, and sometimes nauseating for us as… Read More about ““Shaken, Not Stirred”: How Does Your Preemie Take Their Milk?”

How often should feeding tubes be changed, and what can be done to minimize bacterial contamination? The short answer is there is no definitive answer, other than “manufacturer recommendations,” which typically say PVC tubes are to be changed every 3 days and polyurethane (“poly”) and silicone should be changed every 30 days. Although these are… Read More about “NICU Feeding Tubes: Change Frequency Guidelines to Minimize Bacterial Contamination”

Who among us has not experienced that shift where more than 1 or 2 nurses called in sick – and no one was available to replace them? When patients were admitted faster than extra nurses could be found? Or one or more patients become sicker during the shift, requiring more of your time than first… Read More about “NICU Nursing Workload and Patient Outcomes”

In Scandinavian countries like Sweden, the breastfeeding rates across their population are enviably one of the best in the Western world (~52% exclusive breastfeeding at 4 months). They also provide their mothers with generous maternity leave (16 months compared to our optional 3 months in the U.S., in Finland it is ~40 months). They have… Read More about “Preemie Breastfeeding: The Holy Grail of NICU”

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects and distributes data surrounding maternal and infant mortality. What is most alarming in the recent report is the critically high rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. The statistics are astounding, revealing that 700 women die each year in the United States because of… Read More about “Maternal and Infant Health Crisis: What You Need to Know”

Air travel can be stressful – I know from personal experience as I travel by air sometimes weekly.  But for new moms, having to find creative ways to feed a baby while traveling is even more difficult. On October 3, 2018, the Senate passed bi-partisan legislation to make air travel safer and easier. One important… Read More about “Senate Passes Legislation for Breastfeeding Moms in Airports”

While most neonatal and infant healthcare providers recognize the benefits of breastfeeding, there is often concern about the transfer of maternal medications into breast milk. That may lead to an inclination to discourage the use of human milk in the presence of at least some medications. We instruct mothers to record medications they may be… Read More about “Medication Transfer Into Breast Milk”