After a successful breastfeeding journey with my daughter for nine months, exclusively pumping because my second child was in the CVICU was a huge adjustment. Maybe you have found out that you will be pumping because your child is in the NICU – don’t fret! It’s a lot of work, but it is a very special gift you can give to your child during this time.
I learned a lot while exclusively pumping for my son. My son was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome which kept us in the CVICU for three months until his passing. As a mother, I felt helpless sitting and watching my little baby hooked up to so many different things, but I knew my milk was one of my biggest contributions when I otherwise felt useless.
There are many things that will be useful for you while you are exclusively pumping. Always seek out resources at your hospital as well! I was surprised at how much help I was able to get with pumping during our stay.
Supplies for Pumping in the NICU & CVICU
Breast Pump
If you know you will be pumping then invest in a nice pump. Make sure to check with your insurance company to see if you qualify for a free pump and what would be available to you. With my insurance, I qualify for a new pump for each pregnancy. Some pumps are completely free for me through insurance while others were only partially covered.
For my first pregnancy, I qualified for a free Spectra (the blue one) and I loved it. When I had to go back to work it did the job just fine. Then when I found out that I would be exclusively pumping and traveling back and forth from the hospital during my second pregnancy I requested the Elvie which is a hands-free, wearable pump. This was only partially covered, but I also loved it once I got the hang of it.
My plan was to use my old Spectra at the hospital and then the Elvie whenever I wanted to, especially if I needed to while driving. I was so swollen and engorged though, that both the Spectra and Elvie did not have flanges large enough to fit me. Luckily, while at the hospital, you should be provided a pump in your room.
I was provided a hospital-grade Medela pump which felt like the Cadillac of all pumps. It was amazing. The problem was when I went home and had to pump with incorrect flange sizes, I couldn’t empty my breasts properly and started getting huge clogs. Cue lactation!
At our children’s hospital, they have a program where mothers of underweight babies can take home a hospital-grade pump during their stay. When I explained to them the issues I was having they told me that they didn’t have any take-home pumps being used at the moment, so they let me take one home even though my child didn’t qualify for that program. The lesson here is to always ask questions because you never know what kind of options might be available to you!
Hands-Free Pumping Bra
Do yourself a favor and don’t wait to buy a hands-free pumping bra. This is another moment where lactation saved the day for me. Once they set me up with a pump for home, the lactation consultant also had to help me clear a giant clogged duct. Wearing a pumping bra was part of that process and part of my daily routine after that in order to keep clogs away.
I didn’t have a pumping bra though when lactation came to help so they ended up fitting me for one and giving me one for free. I somehow managed to lose that one and simply asked for another one later and they gave me another free one. Again, always ask what options you have! Pumping bras aren’t cheap, so I was super surprised they could just give me one. My hands were finally free to at least scroll through my phone while I pumped.
Lanolin
Save your nipples and be sure to use lanolin before you start pumping. This will let them glide along the flange with ease and prevent sore, blistered nipples. Again, if you are running out, ask lactation if they have any!
Nursing Cover
If your room doesn’t have some sort of privacy curtain, then you might want to have a nursing cover. If you don’t know what to expect during a NICU stay, then expect people in and out of your room all day long. Nurses, doctors, lactation, child life services, social services, cleaning, and plenty of other people will pop in all day, so you probably don’t want to be walked in on like that.
Storage Bags & Permanent Markers
You will constantly be bagging milk so always make sure you have storage bags. My favorite was Lansinoh. Also, make sure to have some extra permanent markers to mark the bags.
Cooler
There will be times that you want to bring pumped milk from home to the hospital and other times that you want to take pumped milk from the hospital to home. Make sure you have a nice cooler for this! I took a lot of milk home from the hospital because they can only store so much there. When you think about how much milk a preemie or sick baby is getting it’s a really small amount compared to how much you are probably producing. I had hundreds of extra ounces I had to regularly take home.
Wash Basin
You will need a wash basin dedicated to soaking and cleaning your pump parts. The CDC recommends washing pump parts between each wash. I have seen recommendations before from moms who put their pump parts in the fridge between pumping sessions to reduce the hassle of cleaning. This might be fine for full-term, healthy babies, but even lactation at our hospital recommended washing between each session. They told me the terrible story of a mom who had to have all her milk thrown away because some of it tested for mold so they couldn’t keep any of it. Imagine all of that hard work being dumped down the drain.
Soap, Bottle Brush, and Drying Rack
Once I realized how much washing I’d be doing in a hospital bathroom, I went ahead and got a bottle brush and a drying rack that would fit next to the bathroom sink. I also got my own soap because I didn’t like the scent of the soap that the hospital provided.
Extra Pump Parts
I would highly recommend having at least three sets of pump parts. This was my normal routine:
- Pump
- Fill basin with hot water and soap and soak all pump parts just used
- Pump with new pump parts on the next pump
- Scrub and rinse previously soaked pumped parts
- Fill basin again with hot water and soap and soak all pump parts just used
- Pump with clean parts from the drying rack or third set of clean pump parts
- Keep doing this on repeat
The third set came in handy when I got lazy and didn’t feel like scrubbing pump parts at the moment, or when time got away from me and I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning the last set yet.
Cleaning Wipes
I used these a lot on my Elvie pump! If I would pump on the way to the hospital then I would quickly wipe the parts down before getting out of the car so that milk didn’t set in them and spoil. I would always wash the parts later, but these kept it from getting smelly in the meantime.
Establishing Your Milk Supply
All of this stuff is great to have, but you might be wondering how to even establish your milk supply in the first place. When pumping in the NICU, it can sometimes be a challenge to feel “connected” to your baby at first. This is completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of! This could interfere with your milk supply though. Things lactation recommended to me were:
- As much skin-to-skin as possible
- Looking at pictures of your baby (if you’re pumping at home) before and during your pumping session
- Watching videos of your baby (if you’re pumping at home) before and during your pumping session
- Drape a blanket over your shoulder that your baby has been swaddled in
- Eat a nutritious diet
- Stay hydrated – at least half your body weight in ounces, if not more
- Pump at least 8 times a day to maintain supply
Pumping in the NICU is hard work. There will be times when you will be completely over it and feel like giving up, but keep pushing forward! You are giving such a wonderful gift to your baby and you’re doing a great job.