Nikki Lee Health

For 100 years, breastfeeding education has not been part of hospital practice or healthcare professional education. Today, public health strategies include teaching physicians, nurses, midwives, nutritionists and dietitians, and occupational therapists about breastfeeding as part of their fundamental education.

Breastfeeding management is complex, and requires formal study to understand. The relationship between the mother, the baby, and the breast is influenced by health, by environment, by genetics and by luck. Fortunately, more and more healthcare professionals are formally studying breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, there are too many who are not. Today’s client was an example of this. The mother of a 3-month old baby had been given a nipple shield in the intensive care nursery so that her baby would breastfeed. She called me for a consultation at home because the pediatrician was concerned that the baby wasn’t gaining enough weight.

During the month that this baby spent in the NICU, not one healthcare professional showed the mother the correct way to apply the nipple shield to her breast. She was simply laying it on top of her nipple.
Once she flipped the shield inside out, put it over her nipple and let it flip back to the right side, her nipple was pulled into the correct placement inside the shield.

The change in her baby’s suckling was dramatic. The suck/swallow/breathe ratio changed to the normal 1:1:1; with incorrect placement, the ratio was 5:1:1. The baby started swallowing regularly and the sound of audible gulps filled the room, while the baby’s fists relaxed into limpness.

I expect this baby to now start gaining an appropriate amount of weight and for the mother to no longer have to spend 45 minutes at every feed. If the staff in the NICU had given the mother the correct instruction 2 months ago, my visit may not have been needed.