What Moms With NICU Babies Can Do to Help With Breastfeeding Success, Researchers Say

First milk expression within eight hours of giving birth is associated with the highest probability of mothers with very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants being able to produce milk throughout their NICU stay, according to researchers at Boston Medical Center.

Breast milk has so many benefits for VLBW infants, including a better chance of preventing sepsis and chronic lung disease, and improvement in later childhood development. But dealing with the unexpected is one of the top breastfeeding challenges for women who give birth to a baby who needs NICU support. Many moms of preemies struggle to nurse because their milk production hasn’t started, or their milk production is affected by pregnancy complications. They’re also more likely to be separated from their newborn for a prolonged period of time after birth.

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative previously suggested milk expression within six hours after birth as one strategy for support. But milk expression within six hours can be difficult due to the need for intensive monitoring of newborns and/or moms.

The Boston Medical Center researchers used data from more than 1,000 mother-baby pairs in nine Massachusetts hospitals. The infants were all VLBW infants who spent time in the NICU. They found 70 percent of infants whose mothers expressed first milk within eight hours of delivery were being fed any mother’s milk at discharge or transfer, compared with 52 percent of infants whose mothers expressed first milk 9 to 24 hours after delivery.

The study’s authors hope more tests will be done to establish the relationship between timing of first milk expression and long-term lactation success.

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