Babies born before their due date need special care, especially if they were very small at birth (less than 3 pounds).  Feeding premature babies is a unique challenge; it mainly depends on how early they were born, whether they have any medical issues and the severity of those issues.  It is also important to track how often your baby eats so you can share this information with healthcare providers and other caregivers.

Breast milk is ultimately the best source of nutrition for a new baby; it has proteins in it that can help fight infection and to promote growth.  If your baby was born before 34 weeks they often can’t feed from a bottle or breast due to the fact that they have trouble coordinating sucking, breathing and swallowing all at the same time.  However those born after 34 weeks may be able to feed from a bottle or the mother’s breast.

A good rule of thumb is to feed your premature baby 8 to 10 times per day and that will help prevent dehydration.  Six to 8 wet diapers a day is one indication that your baby is getting enough fluids.  If your head is now spinning with the “how many”, the “when” and the “how much” you may find it helpful to take a moment and track this information.  Premature babies tend to sleep more often than full-term ones but the duration is usually shorter.  In addition, with premature babies, sometimes you need to awaken them to feed them.

Soon after the birth of your premature baby start pumping if your baby is not able to breast feed.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help and do not hesitate to make sure those caring for you know your desire to breastfeed.   Once your milk supply is strong enough you can decrease how often you pump.  At 36 to 40 weeks, premature babies usually are able to suck and will most likely breast feed every 3 to 4 hours, but they may still need additional formula.  Once your baby is able to start nursing be prepared to nurse frequently and since they cannot take in much as milk at each feeding until they’re closer to term pump afterward to keep your milk supply up.  Some new mothers find it helpful to track this; either how often pumping occurs and how much, how much formula is given at each feeding and information on whether or not the baby was content, fussy or tired.

The video below shows you how to track breast and bottle feedings using the Babble Soft Baby Insights Day Tracker. These online tools are meant to help new parents easily track feedings and monitor baby’s fluid intake. There is also a feed tracking worksheet that you can print out to quickly write down feeding information to input later. By entering the feeding and intake data into Baby Insights, then parents can take advantage of the various graphs and reporting that is readily available and can help you identify patterns and monitor baby’s weekly intake or intake across multiple days. Parents of premature infants have found these charts and graphs especially helpful when meeting with baby’s pediatrician.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

How often you’re pumping can affect your milk supply. If you’re pumping too much, you can build up too much milk supply and if you’re not pumping enough, your milk supply can suffer. This article will outline some tips on how you can handle pumping and keeping your milk supply where you and your baby need it to be.

Pumping Full Time

Sometimes, for whatever reason, breastfeeding might not work out for some new moms and they decide that pumping full time is the next best thing. I commend these moms, because I pumped part-time for a 11-12 months and it is no small feat! Because pumping does not always get as much milk out as breastfeeding would, sometimes a mom has to pump more often than a baby would typically eat. This might mean that a mom has to pump every two hours when the baby is eating every three.

Unfortunately, some moms find that if they don’t pump at night, in the early days, that they see their milk supply drop in the daytime. For these moms, sometimes pumping before bed can help, even if your baby is sleeping through the night. Some moms even take the next step and set an alarm, pumping in the middle of the night. That’s dedication!

Pumping For Milk Supply Stash

Pumping and breastfeeding at the same time can have unique challenges. Not only are you requiring your body to make a big enough milk supply to feed your baby, but you are trying to make even more milk to provide an extra date-night bottle or to store up extra milk for emergencies. Building up a milk stash can be challenging, but not impossible. Here are some tips:

• Typically, the early morning is when you have more milk, so plan to feed your baby and then pump. Your body will make enough milk for your baby’s next feeding.
• Consider tracking your baby’s schedule, so you know how often she is breastfeeding and can plan a pumping schedule accordingly. If you also track your pumping and how much milk you get at each pumping session, you can figure out the best schedule that works for you. For example, I found feeding my baby and then pumping 45 minutes to an hour later the best for me. I rarely got much milk after a feeding and if I waited too long, I’d be light for baby’s next feeding 2 1/2 to 3 hours later, so pumping in between was best for me. Since everyone is different, it helps for you to find what works for you and your baby.
• If you know your baby often feeds on just one side, consider pumping at the same time you are feeding your baby. You can simulate you have twins and encourage your body to make more milk at each feeding. Generally, you may get more milk this way because of your baby stimulating your other nipple at the same time.
• Figure out the best times NOT to pump. Again, since I monitored how much milk I got at different times of the day (which is hard to remember, so better to track pumping), I knew that in the early evening it was the worst time to pump. My baby cluster fed and I was tired from the rest of the day.

Pumping To Increase Milk Supply

Even if you are breastfeeding for the most part, some moms find they have trouble keeping up with baby’s needs. Pumping can be a great way to increase milk supply. Consider pumping for an additional 10-15 minutes after your baby is done eating. This simulates your baby needing more milk and will signal your body to make more. Sometimes, it is isn’t that your baby does not want more milk, but they get way too busy to want to keep suckling when they can be exploring! Pumping is a great way to do it for them. Again, it might also be a good idea to pump an extra time before bed.

This article explored the various ways pumping can help you achieve your goals with your milk supply, but also keep in mind that you need to drink enough water, get adequate rest, and eat healthy (oatmeal helps!). Making milk takes energy (calories), so make sure you have enough. You may be interested in other ways to increase your milk supply. Happy pumping!

When helping my cousin with her new baby during a trip to NYC, I was reminded of some tips to increase milk supply.  When my first was born, my milk didn’t come in until over 10-14 days later.  I was recovering from an emergency c-section and was exhausted.  I was so distressed that I wasn’t able to provide enough food for my son that I often broke down in tears.  When he was a week or so old, my mom, husband, and I took him to a local mother’s store and with the help of a wonderful lactation consultant I weighed him, fed him, and weighed him again.  I freaked out because he weighed exactly the same as before!  Talk about feeling like a bad mommy.  However, after a few minutes we all realized that we had forgotten to put his socks back on when we weighed him the second time, and he had actually gained some weight!  Phew!  I can laugh about it now but boy at the moment…

Well-meaning lactation consultants and nurses told me repeatedly that I shouldn’t supplement.   I felt guilty (ugh!) about doing it, but I had to and I’m glad I did.  A few weeks later once my milk was in we no longer needed to supplement.  When my daughter was born, I had no qualms about supplementing the first couple of weeks of her life because I knew with certainty she would breastfeed exclusively and it gave me some time to recover a bit faster.  This time my milk came in within 3 to 5 days.  So here are some ideas from my experience and my cousin’s:

Fenugreek. This seed is commonly used in pill form to increase milk supply.  Fortunately for me, it is often used in Sri Lankan and Indian cooking and since my mom was here the first couple of weeks my kids were born I got to eat lots of tasty curries cooked with fenugreek.  I’m convinced this is what helped bring my milk in faster.  I’ll never know for certain but it was a yummy endeavor nonetheless!

Dark beer.  My cousin was advised to drink dark beer to help increase her supply.  We were both discussing how it was too bad that she wasn’t advised to drink a lot of red wine…which we both love.

Garlic.  I also ate a little more garlic than normal in the curries my mother made, but I have heard that some people will eat so much that their milk starts smelling like garlic!  They say that babies like the flavor/smell of garlic in their mother’s milk so they suck harder and eat more.  Go figure!

Whole grains/Oatmeal.  I’m not sure how this works but it’s probably related to why dark beer is helpful.

Rest. Sleep. Warm Showers.  Although it’s very hard to get any rest those first several weeks home, it’s probably what the body needs most to help stimulate milk production.  When you sleep, relax, and rest your body has time to make milk without added stress.  Stress has been shown to decrease milk supply because your body is using it’s energy for things other than making milk!

Aruni
Founder, Babble Soft

****

These tips are based on our experiences, as well as those of our friends and readers.  Please always consult with your doctor before implementing any tip that might impact the health of your baby.  If you have a tip you’d like to submit please send an email to blogger(at)babblesoft(dot)com.  Please check the ‘baby tips’ or ‘baby advice’ categories to make sure your tip (in some form or fashion) hasn’t already been posted.  If it has been, feel free to comment on that post and support the tip.  We also welcome respectful challenges to the tips because ‘everything is relative!’  We will, of course, give anyone who submits a tip we publish credit and a link back to their site!