Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby

Updated June 09, 2015.

Breastfeeding a premature baby is one of the most important and loving challenges a NICU mom will face. Although it may not be easy, the results are worth it for many families, as Jenny's story (below) shows:

Miss Auralynn came into this world at 29 weeks and 6 days, and after making sure she was ok the first thing I thought was "I really hope I can breastfeed." I know that sounds silly, but I had trouble breastfeeding in the past so I was determined to breast feed for at least a year. I knew it wasn't going to be an easy task with a preemie but with support from my husband, friends, and of course the wonderful NICU nurses and lactation consultants I am proud to say we are still going strong 9 months later. My gummi bear spent about 7 weeks in the NICU and I am proud to say only had one bottle of formula. I pumped for all that time and battled a case of mastitis, but we still kept going. I was only able to see her once a day due to my other two children, but I tried to breastfeed every time. She was so tiny and I know it took a lot out of her but she did so great at trying. There were nights when I cried myself to sleep thinking I couldn't do it anymore, but I knew that breastmilk was keeping her healthy and strong. I'm proud to say that she has not had anything more serious then the sniffles even though the rest of the family has gotten sick several times. Every feeding reminds me that we stuck it out and we learned together. Nothing else may have gone according to plan but we won this battle and so can you.

Thank you, Jenny, for sharing Auralynn's breastfeeding story. Read on for plenty of tips to help to successfully breastfeed YOUR preemie, both in the NICU and beyond.

1. Breastfeeding Benefits for Preemies

Breastfeeding has many benefits for all babies, especially for babies who were born early. Preemies get all of the common benefits from mom's milk, and additional benefits as well. From their brains to their tummies, preemies need breast milk even more then full-term babies.More »

2. Tips for Breastfeeding a Premature Baby

It isn't always easy to establish breastfeeding with a baby who may be too small and sick to eat anything for the first days or even weeks. It takes patience and dedication, but these tips will make establishing breastfeeding a little easier.More »

3. Pumping Breast Milk For Your Preemie

Babies who are premature or sick at birth usually can't breastfeed right away, so most moms need to pump their breastmilk and store it for future use. If you've never used a breast pump before or are trying to increase your milk supply, these tips can help.More »

4. Feeding Your Preemie At Home

Even after your baby comes home from the NICU, you may need to work to get him or her to eat enough to have good weight gain. Whether you're breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, these tips can help make sure your baby is eating enough.More »