September is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Month and we have four mothers share their experiences of feeding and providing breast milk to their babies in NICU.
What is NICU Month?
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Month is designed to honor families experiencing a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit and the health professionals who care for them. You can find out more about NICU awareness month here.
Danielle’s story
“NICU is what your premature baby needs, but it is so far from what is natural. Cuddles and recovery are replaced with machines and medical jargon. It was scary and intimidating. The only thing I felt I could do for my babies was to give them my milk, and by day 6, my girls were exclusively on my breastmilk. Expressing had become my life.
NICU is what your premature baby needs, but it is so far from what is natural.
Fellow NICU mamas explained to me that they could not express; it was too difficult, triggering, and upsetting, and I completely empathized with them. I felt these things too, especially during the night when I sat alone expressing in my living room.
The sound from the pump in the silence of the night was deafening, and I would sit there haunted by the absence of my babies. I have never felt loneliness like it. But for me personally, it was the opposite of a deterrent. It was my power.”
You can read Danielle’s full story here.
Sophie’s story
“On the way out of recovery my amazing team wheeled me in to see my tiny girl and I fell in love instantly. The tubes, the smell, the noise, non of it bothered me. All that mattered was the babe that lay before me. I knew whilst she was fighting, I’d fight to do the only thing I could for now – feed her.
When it got to about 5pm, a midwife came to help suction what she could from my breasts with her little 10ml syringe. Oh how the milk did flow! 30ml in fact! I actually burst into laughter and tears with my boobs out for the world to see! The midwife was blown away and told me she would bring the pump to my bedside as I was definitely going to need it.
When it got to about 5pm, a midwife came to help suction what she could from my breasts with her little 10ml syringe.
By four days postpartum, I had 26 50ml bottles stored in the NICU freezer and was producing 450ml-650ml during each three hourly pumping session!
My nurses, midwives, gosh even my doctors, would comment every time they saw just how much milk I was creating! We all joked that I could supply the whole NICU and maternity ward from just a single session. I remember being extremely proud yet exhausted at the same time.”
You can read Sophie’s full story here.
Charlotte’s story
“With the exception of one NICU nurse I received NO breastfeeding support. When staff heard that I had breastfed my little girl they assumed that I knew what I was doing, and was left to it. But I didn’t. Every child is unique, as is every breastfeeding situation. I couldn’t latch my son properly and didn’t understand why. I was trying all the positions we had discussed with my IBCLC but nothing was working. We were both getting frustrated. I was handed some nipple shields to ‘just try’ but no advice on how to use them. I needed help, actual proper hands on help and I got none.
I needed help, actual proper hands on help and I got none.
My milk came in quite fast which was very fortunate and so I was able to pump and start building a supply to put down his NG tube. But days with a baby in NICU, recovering from major abdominal surgery and pumping relentlessly is hard. Being away from my little girl most of the day when I just needed a cuddle made me realise how much she meant to me. We should be a family, spending time together as a four.
Our baby did really well in the NICU and was able to be moved over to the transitional care unit to be with me as we prepared to go home. Feeding was still a struggle and I was feeling emotional because I just couldn’t get it to work properly. I needed to do this, because in a time full of turmoil providing milk was the one thing I knew I COULD do…”
You can read Charlotte’s full story here.
Natalie’s story
“I expressed colostrum towards the end of my pregnancy, knowing I was having another c section. This time, I approached the whole thing like a military operation.
That first feed in recovery was magic. My baby latched and fed, and I thought “yes, I’ve done it”. However, we then ended up with our son being admitted to NICU with trouble transitioning with his breathing. He was connected to tubes and pipes and devices and had to have colostrum syringed to him. I had forgot about my stash, and it had defrosted rendering it useless. I remember being sat in my bed trying to hand express and getting some out. They suggested I tried pumping which produced absolutely nothing, and I found this heart breaking. I then had difficulty expressing by hand and remember calling a midwife in tears.
I cried that our journey would be over before it began and all the memories from the first time came back. The midwife gently showed me again how to express my colostrum. She reassured me that I would be fine and that I was doing more then some others and it would work. She was right. He came off the machines and fed like a trooper and soon I was traipsing down to NICU throughout the night summoned by the midwives and nurses to soothe his screams. He put on weight, and we were discharged happy. It’s continued ever since and 15 months later we are still going strong.”
He put on weight, and we were discharged happy.