Mary Ellen's Blog

I have always been a strong advocate for breastfeeding. So, when my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first baby there was no question that I would be breastfeeding.

I had assumed, as most people do, that I would have an uncomplicated 9-month pregnancy. The baby would be born healthy and we would start breastfeeding with no issues. However, at the 30-week mark in my pregnancy this idealistic vision began to quickly unravel. I was admitted into the hospital due to pre-term labor. Despite the doctors best efforts, it could not be stopped.

So our first little man entered the world 9.5 weeks early. It was the scariest experience I have ever been through; I never thought I would have to utter the words, “will he survive?”

Immediately after he was born he was rushed to the NICU to be assessed. When we were finally able to see him, he was in an incubator hooked up to heart rate monitors and oxygen sensors. As my husband and I stared at our beautiful little baby, so proud yet so terrified, a nurse came over and asked if I planned to breastfeed.

I immediately answered, “Yes, of course”, but at the same time I was wondering, how am I going to breastfeed this tiny little baby with all these wires, and monitors?

A lactation consultant came to talk to us and tell us how the breastfeeding process would work. For the first while I would pump milk every three hours and Brody would receive the milk through a NG tube (a tube that went through his nose and down to his stomach).

So that’s what we did. I had an alarm set and every three hours I would strap on the breast pump, pour my milk into storage bags and place it in the fridge at the NICU. It was not easy. Having your baby in the hospital is, as any parent can imagine, heartbreaking. Waking up in the middle of the night to pump was not what I pictured, it was a constant reminder that my baby was sick, I felt helpless. But I refused to let myself get down; I constantly reminded myself that I was doing the best thing to help my baby get through this rough start by breastfeeding.

Everyday Brody got a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger and my husband and the amazing nurses at the Janeway NICU reminded me that it was my milk that was making the difference. About 3 weeks after Brody was born, we got to start skin to skin and then we slowly got to start trying breastfeeding.

I can’t even put into words how wonderful it was to experience these things, tears of joy poured down my face. We still had a long way to go, but we were getting there!

Breastfeeding was a work in progress. For the first while, he was only on my breast for about five minutes at a time, I still continued to pump, so my milk supply was maintained. It took some work for him to get use to latching on and for me to get used to positioning, etc. We were blessed with having a wonderful lactation consultant work with us every day. She was so patient, kind and understanding, she gave me the ability to be able to breastfeed my baby, something I can never repay her for.

We gradually increased the amount of time Brody spent breastfeeding, and decreased the amount of time I was pumping and before long he was having full feeds at the breast!

After seven weeks of sitting at his bedside, the doctor said the words my husband and I were longing to hear:
“It’s time for Brody to go home.”

We did it! It was a long road but I refused to give up on breastfeeding. My baby needed my milk to help him grow and thrive – and that he did. Thanks to the amazing support of my husband, the NICU nurses and our wonderful lactation consultant, Olive, we overcame the obstacles and established breastfeeding and continued for 10 months after!

Having a premature baby is stressful to say the least, but breastfeeding is possible and it is so important for your baby. Support is essential and there is plenty of it, so make use of the fabulous resources that are available. Today Brody is a vibrant 2 year old with no medical issues and no developmental delays. Who says breast isn’t best!