Baby Baby
While Mackenzie stayed in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit (NICU) at Cohen Children's Medical Center,
Ms. Medrano hoped her daughter would benefit
from breastfeeding.
"On the first day, the lactation consultants brought a
breast pump to my room and started educating me about
how good a mother's milk is for her baby," Ms. Medrano
said. "I felt like a first-time mom all over again."
Ms. Medrano learned to pump about every three hours
to encourage the production and expression of milk. She
also focused on holding her baby and maintaining skin-
to-skin contact to promote bonding and milk production.
Making the Most of Mother's Milk
The lactation team fortified Ms. Medrano's expressed
milk with key nutrients that would strengthen
Mackenzie's immune system and encourage her growth
and development. Fortifying breast milk according to
each baby's needs is at the heart of the Cohen Children's
Human Milk Center.
"The Human Milk Center has trained milk technicians
who label and store a mother's milk in a temperature-
controlled environment," said Richard Schanler, MD,
director of neonatal services with Northwell Health
and Cohen Children's. "When a feeding order comes
in for a baby in the NICU, the technicians bring a
certain amount of the milk to the right temperature
and mix it with the appropriate amount of
fortifier. They then put it in a labelled feeding device,
such as a syringe, and deliver it to the baby's bedside."
Getting adequate nutrients from a mother's milk is
crucial, especially for babies born ahead of schedule.
Premature babies fed with their mother's milk can
better fight off intestinal disorders and infections,
such as necrotizing enterocolitis, a common disease in
preemies. If a mother cannot pump enough milk for her
baby, Human Milk Center technicians may formulate
servings with pasteurized donor milk.
"A mother's milk improves the baby's ability to
withstand respiratory problems, like chronic lung
disease, and reduces the incidence of retinopathy of
Bedtime for
Settle your infant safely to help ensure the best rest for everyone.
A beckoning bed is a welcome sight to sleep-deprived
new parents, but first things first. New recommendations
from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) protect
against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other
causes of sleep-related infant mortality:
– Use a separate crib or bassinet.
– Keep the crib in your bedroom during the first year.
(Avoiding co-sleeping with baby can reduce risk
of SIDS by as much as 50 percent, according to
the AAP.)
– Baby should sleep face-up.
– Use a firm crib mattress.
– Do not leave any soft or loose sheets, crib bumpers,
blankets, pillows or toys in the crib.
– The AAP recommends that tired parents feed their
baby in bed, which is usually safer than a couch or
chair. If you doze off, move your baby to the crib or
bassinet as soon as you wake up.
For more guidance, consult a Cohen Children's Medical Center
pediatrician. Find one in your area at bit.ly/pediatricians.
CohenChildrens.com
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kidsFIRST | Issue 1 2017
infant nutrition
