> My opinion is that the mother should be given the option to express her
> milk
> for her baby, and that her choice should be respected either way.  I
> personally have not been in the situation of potentially having a baby
> die,
> but I wonder if avoiding the topic of pumping will really protect her
> from
> painful feelings and false hope.  I think it would be an extremely
> painful
> situation no matter what happens.

I'd agree, Christy. Especially if the baby's death isn't imminent,
providing milk might help, and that could be comforting to the mother
that she's done something that helped. I would hope she's getting an
honest picture of the situation, and given options.

A while back we had a baby in our unit with an incompatible-with-life
condition. That baby lived for several weeks at home, fed by dropper. I
don't know if your situation is similar or not, but providing milk, even
for a short while, might even help the mother deal with the situation.

My heart goes out to her.


Anne Stringer, RN, NICU
Michigan, USA
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