She can offer the mother printed materials to read at her leisure or to share with her baby's doctor. Leaders can help the mother begin pumping, provide facts about the special breastfeeding issues associated with her baby's condition and suggest sources of additional support. If a baby is unable to feed at the breast, the mother will need to express milk to establish her supply. Mothers of weak or ill babies who nurse very little may need to pump to further stimulate their breasts. In both cases, a hospital-grade automatic double pump is the most suitable pump.
Leaders can refer a mother to places that rent pumps and sell needed attachments.
Even if the hospital has a pump available, the mother may want a second pump for use at home. Just as with nursing at the breast, if the mother is experiencing difficulty maintaining her supply, more frequent stimulation can help. Some mothers will need to pump at night, while other mothers will find that a night's rest is more beneficial to their milk supply. The Leader can help each mother create a plan that will enable her to fit pumping sessions into her already over-burdened schedule of visiting baby, caring for any other children and trying to find time for a shower or bath. A mother who is expressing milk will need to store it until the baby is ready to use it.