Sarah shared a great article from a Tampa Bay newspaper about breastmilk being liquid gold for fragile newborns.
If breastmilk is liquid gold for fragile newborns, what is it for normal, healthy newborns? Wouldn’t it be the same thing?
Remember my friends who had a preemie last month, well, she is finally able to get him back on breastmilk. He is also having PDA surgery today, so he’s been in a bit of a slump the last couple of weeks. I hear that it is normal for it to be a rollercoaster ride for parents of preemies for the first couple of months. So imagine, knowing that your breastmilk is the best possible thing, next to human touch, that you can do for your baby? Wouldn’t you do everything to insure that your baby got the best possible start in life, fragile or healthy?
The Tampa Bay article tells the story of one mother’s experience with premature twins. She was only going to nurse her babies for the first month, until she read article after article revealing the benefits of breastmilk for the first six months of a baby’s life. That’s when she was convinced she’d do all she could to provide them with her milk.
The interesting thing I learned from the article was the measures the Florida hospital was taking to insure that the mothers had all the help they needed to successfully nurse through the stressful ordeal of having a fragile or premature newborn. The mothers have access to a hotline where they can call in and have their breastfeeding questions answered. The hospital even set up a special system and area to store the pumped breastmilk, complete with bar codes and scanners to limit the risk of mixing up the milk.
I was surprised at the care and committment that the hospital is showing for these mothers and their babies, especially since many hospitals are subsidized by formula companies. I have to give them credit for what seems like a great service they are offering to breastfeeding moms and fragile newborns. The hospital says they have nearly 80% of their moms breastfeeding or pumping, which is an amazing percentage, if you ask me. And hats off to the moms who are going through such a difficult time, but still press on to offer their babies their “liquid gold”.
Again, if you liked to read the article in full, please visit:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/for-the-most-fragile-newborns-breast-milk-is-liquid-gold/1114497
