Can mothers still breast feed babies on ECMO?
While we may not be able to give the baby breast milk while he or she is on ECMO, it is important for you to continue to pump your breasts and freeze the milk. There are breast pumps available to use while at the hospital. The hospital also rents electric pumps for use at home. Once the patient is off ECMO and ready, your milk will be available. If you need assistance with this, please ask the patient's nurse for help.
The patient will not actually be able to breast feed until he/she is off the ventilator. However, we are able to feed the infant breast milk through a tube that goes into the stomach. Many ECMO babies are "poor feeders". They have some difficulty sucking and swallowing but this usually will go away in time.