The terms 'mother' and 'breastfeeding' are used throughout our documents; we recognize and respect that individuals and families may use other preferred terminology.
If your baby is hospitalized for any reason and cannot breastfeed, pumping your milk will help you on your pathway to (or back to) breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has many benefits for you and your baby. For more information on these benefits, see Breastfeeding.
The health benefits of breastfeeding are especially important while your baby is hospitalized. This means you have an important role in your baby’s care. Here are some things you can do to ensure your baby gets all of the benefits of your breast milk, and to help you transition to or back to breastfeeding:
What can you do to prepare for breastfeeding before your baby is ready to feed?
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Oral immune therapy — Providing mouth care with colostrum/breast milk
Even when babies are unable to feed by mouth, breast milk can still be used to help boost your baby’s immune system. You can do this by swabbing the inside of your baby’s mouth with breast milk, which provides protective properties as it is absorbed. Your nurse can show you how to do this. -
Establish and maintain a good milk supply by pumping
To build and maintain a full milk supply, you must pump your breasts at least eight times in 24 hours for 15 minutes per session. If you had been breastfeeding your baby at home and your baby is now ill, you will need to pump your breasts the same number of times your baby was feeding in a day. You can use a double electric breast pump to do this while your baby is working towards breastfeeding.
Please see Expressing breast milk for your hospitalized baby for more information about pumping and how to store and transport breast milk to the hospital. -
Kangaroo care — Skin-to-skin care
Holding your baby skin-to-skin, or providing touch for those babies who cannot be held, can help your baby’s development and increase your milk supply. -
Non-nutritive sucking — Opportunities for your baby to latch onto a pumped breast
This gives you and your baby time to practice breastfeeding while your baby is unable to feed by mouth or take in milk, making it easier to transition to breastfeeding once they are able. -
First feeds should be at the breast when possible
Talk to your baby’s health-care team about your goal to breastfeed. During your baby’s hospital stay, work on breastfeeding as much as possible with the help of the lactation consultants.
To learn more about the pathway to breastfeeding, please visit www.sickkids.ca/breastfeeding-program/index.html.
How do you know your baby is ready to breastfeed?
When illness or prematurity interfere with breastfeeding, some babies will go to the breast easily, while for others it will be a learning process.
Your baby may be ready to breastfeed if they:
- are medically stable and over 32 weeks corrected age
- have periods of being awake and alert
- are showing hunger cues
- are tolerating feeds that have been given by feeding tube
If your baby is showing these signs, speak to your nurse, lactation consultant or other health-care provider about initiating breastfeeding. Please see the article on breastfeeding for more information. Also, see the videos on position and latch and breastfeeding intake assessment.
What can you do to help transition to breastfeeding?
- Keep the experience positive — If your baby becomes fussy during the breastfeeding attempt, take time to calm the baby. If the baby does not settle, stop the attempt and hold skin-to-skin. Try again at the next feed. Be patient, it may take time.
- Be present for feeds as often as you can — This helps your baby to get as much practice as possible while learning, and helps to build your confidence.
- Remember to pump immediately after each breastfeeding session and at any time your baby misses a breastfeed — This will maintain your milk supply while transitioning to breastfeeding. If you are unsure how to do this, speak to your lactation consultant.
How much milk is your baby drinking at the breast?
In hospital, the health-care team may need to know more accurately how much milk your baby is drinking when breastfeeding. Your baby can be weighed before you breastfeed and again afterward. The difference in weights tells the team how much milk your baby drank.
For more information, please see Breastfeeding: Test weighing your baby.
Before you go home, you will be taught how to tell if your baby is drinking well at the breast without using a scale. For more information, please see Breastfeeding: How do you know your baby is getting enough milk?
Once you are home
You may find that your baby wants to breastfeed more often if they are feeding on demand and not on the hospital schedule. This is normal breastfeeding behaviour. Responding to your baby’s hunger cues and feeding on demand tells your body to keep producing milk for your baby. It may take time for your baby to exclusively breastfeed or get back to previous feeding routines.
Once you are at home, you can find help with breastfeeding from your local breastfeeding clinics and local health connections. To find breastfeeding support close to home, visit www.ontariobreastfeeds.ca.
At SickKids
If you are at SickKids and would like to reach a lactation consultant, ask your baby’s nurse to send a referral to the Breastfeeding Program.