By Alana Prisco, UCLA Health
Having a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a stressful experience for families. But a new UCLA Health program designed for breastfeeding patients enrolled in the federally funded Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, can alleviate some of the stress.
Through UCLA Health’s breast pump distribution program, launched in June, patients in the WIC program can receive a free, hospital-grade breast pump to help establish their milk supply during their time apart from their babies in the NICU.
“Early initiation of breastfeeding is so important to establish good milk volume throughout one’s breastfeeding journey,” said Mina Ognajanovic-Jasovic, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at UCLA Health. “Maintaining supply is also key, and having access to the highest-quality pump can be very beneficial to mothers who are separated from their babies for long periods of time.”
But pumps of the highest quality often come with a high price point. Hospital-grade pumps can be very expensive to rent – about $300 per month.
“Sometimes patients can get the cost covered through insurance but it can be a difficult and time-consuming process,” said Debora Brechesi-Milioni, also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at UCLA Health. Further, many patients who go through insurance don’t always receive their breast pumps when they need them.
When it comes to breastfeeding, timing is everything. For UCLA Health patients such as Eliana Cantu from Fresno County, the mother of a baby boy who was in the NICU for more than a month, getting a breast pump two days before being discharged was key.
Cantu, who is enrolled in the WIC program, said the support she received from the hospital’s lactation staff was invaluable. “Not only did I get the pump right away, but the staff showed me how it worked and really explained why breastfeeding was best for my baby,” Cantu said.
Though this program launched just a little more than a month ago, about 20 UCLA Health patients already have received hospital-grade pumps. While she’s proud of the program’s success so far, Brechesi-Milioni says there’s more work to be done.
“The ultimate goal is to expand access to this program to all breastfeeding moms separated from their babies in the NICU,” she said.