Breastfeeding a Baby That's Been Bottle Fed in the NICU

My son was also in the NICU nad had trouble latching on to the breast so he was bottle fed while he was in there. Problems persisted after we finally got home. I wanted himto have breast milk so badly, but didn't want him to be frustrated at the breast or not get enough to eat so I decided that I would pump adb feed him breast milk from the bottle. After 8 weeks of gettin gbreast milk from the bottle he was strong enough and well enough to latch on to my breast! He breast-fed until he was 13 months old. IT CAN BE DONE!!!

Hi A.,

It sounds like you want to breastfeed your baby, and are confused by the nurse's statement and want reassurance from other moms out here. Looks like you got the reassurance that it can be done! One thing I learned from my friend whose baby was in the NICU is to always talk to the dr., not the nurse, and let the doc know your wishes. Call the lactation consultant at the hospital and seek her support with the nurses. Breastmilk is the best for baby and baby's tummy. I actually pumped and donated to the milk bank so that they would have breastmilk to give specifically to babies in the NICU! You can read up on Kangaroo care, and do lots of skin to skin contact, which will help with bonding after such a long separation, and will encourage breastfeeding.

Most importantly, find support outside the hospital for when you leave. Please call a local La Leche League leader (http://www.lllusa.org/COWY/DenverCO.html), talk to her on the phone and get more specific information for this particular issue, and then get the time and location of the next meeting. The moms there are so helpful, warm, and reassuring. It sounds like from the people who responded that breastfeeding after the NICU can be done, but it will be a long journey. You will need support. Support to persevere and to trust your mommy instinct and to get hospital staff on your side.

every doctor and neonatologist will tell you that b-milk is the easiest to digest for a newborn, especially preterm. if that nurse is telling you otherwise, insist to speak to someone else and insist that you want your baby to breastfeed b.c that is your right as his mom.
many nicu nurses will tell you to formula feed b.c it is easiest for them but it is not their decision. if you want to b-feed your baby i would encourage you to be very direct and firm about this. don't let them intimidate you =)

I think it's great that you feel it's important to breastfeed and that you're doing all the work pumping. It's hard work and I'm proud of you for sticking with it. Unfortunately, I think a lot of NICU doctors and nurses just think it's easier to bottle feed so they push that, even if the evidence shows that breastfeeding is better. Unless your baby has allergy problems, he should be able to digest breastmilk just fine, it's the best food for a newborn! You may have to be willing to fight a bit, but if you stick with it you may have great success. (I'm a nurse myself so I'm not badmouthing doctors and nurses, this is just my experience). Ask to speak with a lactation consultant and an occupational therapist who specializes in infant feeding (preferably one with lactation experience). Let them know how strongly you feel about this and let them know that you at least want to try breastfeeding before your child goes home. It can be done!

My sister had a 27 week, 2 pound baby last october. It took months before she was even offered a bottle. However, my sister was diligent about pumping and really wanted to breastfeed. It took a lot of hard work on her part being available to nurse when the baby was ready. She had to watch to make sure the baby wasn't too overwhelmed. Slowly over the time she spent in the NICU (3 1/2 months) the baby figured it out. The doctors and nurses started to push her at the end to just do the bottle, but my sister stood her ground. Finally when she came home they worked on breastfeeding more and more. For quite a while the baby took a few bottles a day, but for the last three or so months the baby is exclusively breastfeeding. My sister is so glad that she stuck it out.

Hang in there and remember to stick up for what YOU want to do. It is your baby and you know what's best. There is no harm at all in at least trying, so they should be willing to let you do that. Good luck!

A., I used a lactation specialist and my 24 week preemie learned to breast feed but it was very difficult and she continued to need supplemental bottles - she was fed only my pumped breastmilk however. She didn't really get to be successful until she hit about 8 pounds (she was four and a half months old and home from the NICU 6 weeks) - she just didn't have the strength to suck properly. We did breast feed several times a day for a year, just for the bonding experience and it was wonderful and definitely worth it.

Another message mentioned that you are in CO. If so, please feel free to contact me directly and I'll be happy to connect you with lots of local services for your baby and family. I am active in our state's parent to parent organization and would love to help. My daughter was in the NICU at St. Joe's for 12 weeks back in 1995.

take care, S.

First of all dont allow the nurses tell you what your baby will eat. Confirm it with a doctor. Second, babies have a natural instinct to latch and suck. It may be a little hard the first couple of times you try. dont get frusterated just keep at it and he will eventually latch on.

Mine was in NICU for one week and on silamac. They did give her some pumped milk. the important thing is that you pump and pump to keep your production up. Set yourself on their schedule (ours was 3, 6, 9, and 12) and pump 30 minutes (or ten if have an electric that pumps hard) each of those times. the cool thing is you will have all kids of fozen milk to put in cereals in six months! In the end, mine nursed exclussiely. I also got extra help there which was great for my practice.

Ask the nurse when you will be able to breastfeed him. Once my son was to a point where he could almost leave the NICU then they allowed me to try to breastfeed him. He had to have his heart rate at a certain level, his oxygen at a certain level, and they really tried working with him to be able to latch on. It took awhile and if you don't get frustrated it'll work out. My son after a few tries was able to latch on and breastfeed, and I was able to breastfeed him for 4 months, before I had to go and have surgery. Just make sure the nurses know and your babies NICU doctor know that you want to breastfeed him and have them work with you when he is ready for that.

A., I know you have a bunch of responses already, but I wanted to let you know that it definitely can be done! My twins were in the NICU for 10 and 12 days, and on bottles (with pumped breastmilk) for about 6 weeks. It just took that long for them to get big enough to nurse easily. I know some moms that have nursed tiny babies, but in my mom's experience, and my own limited experience, 6 lbs. is usually a good weight when babies just seem to "click" with the nursing. I don't know anything about the formula the nurse is recommending, but I do agree that you should definitely keep asking and pushing to have the baby get your milk if you feel strongly about it. I am a huge advocate of nursing, even though my kids had some formula supplementation, and I say go for it even if it means pumping frequently for a few weeks at first. Hang in there, NICU times are definitely tough, but the babies are so worth it when they come home healthy.

Hi A.,
My first son was in the NICU for one month and during that time I pumped and he was given the milk through a tube in his nose and then by bottle when he got bigger. I wanted to nurse him and was able to try at least once a day, but honestly it was frustrating. He was released when he was one month old and I continued to pump and bottle feed him, but I did still try to nurse at least once a day.

After a month of trying everyday, there were a lot of tears shed on both of our parts, but one day it seemed like the light bulb just came on and he latched. I was so excited that after all that hard work, we were able to get our act together! I did have to meet with a lactation consultant (University Hospital has a great one) to work on his latch, but it was a hard fought success none the less. So, basically, we got the nursing thing down when he was 3 months old. Don’t give up, it can be done. :o)

I agree with everyon else- it can be very frustrating but totally worth it! My son was born 10 1/2 weeks early, took nothing by mouth until 3 weeks and was barely nursing once a day when he came home from the hospital. He also never got formula except to mix into the bottles to fortify my breast milk with more calories. We were both extremely frustrated with nursing, but I really wanted to do it (I had breastfed my other son until he was 14 months old). Like someone else said, a light just came on right around his due date when I was about to give up and do formula since my supply was going down so much. He got it and after a month of nursing, he wouldn't ever take a bottle again! He nursed until he was 19 months old and is such a healthy 4 year old now. Hang in there!!!

Nurses can be wrong sometimes and this is one of those times. Formula, no matter what kind, is NEVER the best thing to give your baby, especially one in the NICU. Breast Milk is absolute the best food you can give him, it's the most easily digested (though you may have to modify your diet a bit) and will give him everything he needs. Contact your local La Leche League for help with feeding a baby in the NICU, how to get him to latch and how to deal with the staff in an educated manner. You can go to www.llli.org to find your closest chapter.

Just a quick note on this topic. I am a firm believer that breast milk is the best and it is the easiest to digest. I am actually surprised that a nurse would tell you any thing other than that. If you are breastfeeding, it does make it much harder for the medical staff to monitor how much your baby is getting, so maybe that is why she told you that. Don't be afraid to tell her that is what you want to do. Remember, it is YOUR child. Not only is the breast milk the best, but it is some very valuable and bonding time you can have with your baby. You both need it!

There are also very strict diets you can follow to make your milk easier on him. When my son was born he screamed about 20 hours a day, and they thought he had allergies. I was on a STRICT diet of lamb, asparagus, peaches (or apricots- I can't remember which?!), & water (I guess those are very easy to digest and super gentle?!) Anyways... you may ask about that?!

There is nothing easier to digest then mother's milk. Every hospital has lactation Specialist. Ask to speak with one. They will be able to help you get your little guy to nurse. I would also ask your Dr. about the formula. With my little guy, I also pumped. I froze my milk and took it to the hospital for them to use. He never got formula. And they were not allowed to use formula without my permission. My son had intestinal surgeries and our Dr. was very encouraging about not giving anything but formula. Even when they had to NG tube feed him, they used my milk. When he goes in for surgery, when he is on breast milk he doesn't have to starve as long because of how good it is for your system. My little guy was 6 weeks before we got good latching, but with in a week, I realized he didn't have the muscle and he was so under weight, that I went back to the bottle, though I pumped and fed until he was 13 months old. At this point he cold turkey'd the milk. The best experience, because I could take it slow in ending my pumping and I wasn't tied to him for my release.

Get involved with the lactation specialist for help and you should be successful. If you want to nurse, I would highly recommend you NOT give him a bottle. But from my experience. Everyone is different.

A lactation consultant would be shocked that a nurse told you formula is easier for a baby to digest than breast milk. Ridiculous. I nursed my daughter when she was in the NICU and supplemented her only with donor milk. I've read that preemies' moms even make milk with more antibodies to help the babies grow and thrive. This would certainly be the case with you--if you want to breastfeed, no one should stop you and a lactation consultant should provide you with some support. Be patient--it may take a few days to learn how to latch and that is okay. Just relax and enjoy the time together--he will enjoy just being with you even if he hasn't gotten the hang of breastfeeding. That is very important bonding time, particularly if they spend a lot of time not being held in the NICU, like my daughter. Stand strong. You know this is important and we're all behind you!

When my daughter was in the NICU, I pumped as often as I could, and she was fed my milk thru a tube in her nose. She was NEVER given any formula. I also breastfed her in the NICU as soon as I could, which was when she was 5 days old. I can't believe that any formula would be easier for your baby to digest than your breastmilk which is made just for him! If I were you and I had pumped milk, I would insist that he be given only my milk. Also I think you should try to breastfeed him as much as you can, even if it's more for comfort than nutrition (if he's being fed your milk from a bottle) just to get him used to suckling from you. Stand your ground because he is your baby! Many prayers for you and your little one!

I know you're in Colorado, but if you'd like to speak with a La Leche League Leader who has been through this, I highly recommend calling a Leader I know in Utah. Her name is Jenny and she's listed on the LLL Web site under the Utah list--Box Elder area. She continued pumping for her micro-preemie and became an expert in negotiation with nursing staff and advacating for her baby. She really is amazing and will offer you lots of ideas and reasurrance. I attribute her son's excellent health and good vision to her determination to feed him her milk.
Any La Leche League Leader will be able to offer you good information and support, and all their services are completely free.
The lactation consultant at the hospital might be able to help you quite a bit, too. If you don't like the answers you're getting, keep asking the questions to dfferent people--some folks are trained in lactation and some are trained in hospital protocol only (which sounds like Nurse Elicare, frankly! You breastfeeding is not covenient for the nurses because it's harder for them to measure how much your baby is receiving, and it takes longer for them to be able to make a check next to "fed baby" on their to-do list, but this isn't about them, it's about your baby and his health, so do what feels right to you.)
Consider asking the nurse if you can "practice" breastfeeding, and just keep your baby at the breast with some kangaroo care. This will do wonders for your prolactin hormones and even leaning his little mouth against your nipple will help him get a start to nursing.
If you are very (very) patient and persistent, it is entirely possible your baby will learn to nurse at the breast. I'm not sure what your son's gestational age is, but he's still so young from his actual due date that I feel confident wooing him back to the breast is possible. I've read its actually easier for a baby to nurse without having bradycardia than to drink from a bottle, because the breast won't "flood" the baby and overwhelm him. If he must receive supplements, or if he cannot work at nursing from the breast, it seems preferable to use a gavage/feeding tube thing because it wouldn't contribute to future nipple confusion.
Hang in there, mama, and don't be afraid to question practices that don't feel right to you. Best wishes.

First of all Congrats on being able to continue to pump! That is amazing and awesome! When my little guy was in the NICU, I tried nursing several times and due to him being tube fed and his sucking reflex not being fully developed, he was not able to stay latched or even latch at times. I say absolutely give it a shot, but please try not to get frustrated with yourself if it does not work. That was the hardest part was not feeling inadequate or like I failed him. I also found the lactation nurses very helpful and supportive (the NICU staff should be able to get you in contact with the hospital lactation specialists if you have not already become close friends, hahaha). Best of luck and glad to hear your cherub is doing well!

I want to help you understand why Elicare is such a big deal. It is a formula made for babies that may have extreme allergies. I have a friend that went to Elicare after noticing how her little guy couldn't handle her breastmilk and every other formula out there. Breast feeding is a great experience and if you want to get there I would start talking to the doctor and find out if he has allergies that make it hard for him to take anything else. Elicare is expensive and I would want to make sure that he needs it. Also as mom you have a right to make a decision for your child, as well as knowing what the issues are so that you can make the best decision for your child. Good Luck.

my baby was 9 weeks early and 4 weeks underdeveloped and in the nicu. He was 2 1/2 lbs when he was born and not even 4 lbs when he came home nursing. I can't believe they would perfer formula to breast milk that is crazy. I did have to pump and give him a bottle twice a day but it was breast milk supplemented by formula (neosure). Insist on talking to the Pediatrician or Neonatoligist over your baby. My baby had a hard time latching so we had to use a nipple shield. He is now 15 months old and still nursing 3-4 times per day with the nipple shield. Good luck and don't be affraid to voice your concerns, If my husband hadn't spoke up to our Dr. my baby would have been still born.

Keep trying, keep trying, keep trying! My daughter was born 5 weeks early and didn't have the suck-swallow synchronicity. I pumped and fed her with an lactation supplementer for 8 weeks, bottles for 2 weeks, and then she got it! It was really hard at times not to get frustrated, but I had a wonderful lactation consultant who reminded me that even tiny little babies can learn new tricks and there's nothing like breastmilk and the bonding that comes with nursing to help the littlest ones thrive. We went on to have an amazing nursing relationship for 2+ years. You can do it, and so can he!
I also recommend the book Kangaroo Care for tips on stimulating and nurturing those itty bitties in the NICU and after. Best of luck to you both!
Jen J

Hi A.,

My daughter was in the NICU also and it was always my understanding that breast milk was the best thing for a preemie. The nurses at our hospital called it, "liquid gold." So, I pumped and froze my milk for almost a month before she could even attempt to take the breast. I am not going to lie to you. It was very difficult and very frustrating at times. I stuck with it and tried and tried. She was never great at it, and then they had her on a special formula to give her more calories so we had to mix that with the breast milk and bottle feed her. The nurses assured me to not give up and that she would get it. So I would just try and expose her the breast and sometimes she would do better than others. She was in the hospital for 11 weeks and when we got home (a much more relaxing environment for her & me), she started to latch on more on more. For us, it was the best thing because I had so much guilt about her being a preemie (it was due to my hypertension) that I wanted to do everything I could for her. It was very time consuming and stressful at first, so if you are committed and it is really important to you I would do it. However, if it doesn't work and it becomes too much, don't beat yourself up. You are obviously a great mom! I just wanted to let you know it can be done.

My daughter wasnt in the NICU... but i pumped and fed her for a few weeks because she had a horrible latch, i had thrush and clogged ducts it was horrible. so one day it was about a month after she had been on bottles and i was so tired of pumping all the time to keep my supply up i said its either you latch good or im doing formula i put her to the boob and she latched on and didnt have any problems. I was lucky though. I would say maybe try to feed him an ounce or something before so he isnt sooo hungry and doesnt want to work for the food then try to see if he will latch on and start increasing the boob time. Best of luck to you, it isn't impossible!