Support Breastfeeding
Supporting Breastfeeding Families: A Team-Based Approach
It is important to have the entire healthcare team working together to support the breastfeeding family. This starts during the prenatal period, intrapartum and postpartum. The neonatal team must work together with the labour and delivery and postpartum team to ensure that the family receives the information and help that they need in order to succeed. The value of breastmilk for the premature baby is undisputed. Therefore, it is essential that families have the information to ensure that they are able to make a truly informed choice for what is best for their baby.
Although having specialized breastfeeding experts available can be helpful, everyone on the team needs to have the necessary information and skills to support the family. Below are some materials and links to assist you:
Breastmilk/Human milk
Human milk (breastmilk) is the natural milk produced to feed babies, containing the ideal mix of nutrients and protective antibodies for growth and development. We often use the term “human milk” instead of “breastmilk” to be more inclusive of all parents who provide milk, including those who may not identify with breastfeeding terminology.
Please visit our handy parent guide about Feeding your baby in the NICU
French/Version française
Resources
National Library of Medicine Drugs and Lactation Database: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501922/
International Breastfeeding Centre: https://ibconline.ca/
Supporting breastfeeding among immigrant and refugee mothers: https://kidsnewtocanada.ca/health-promotion/breastfeeding