I recently had the occasion to be called for a lactation consult for a mother 
who was in surgical ICU after a severe post partum hemorrhage.  Without 
going into all the details, the mother was intubated on a respirator and heavily 
sedated, unable to communicate.  Putting the issue of the severity of the 
hemorrhage aside (Sheehan' syndrome, hypovolemia, etc), some of the ICU 
nurses were concerned with the caloric requirements/ burden that pumping 
would put on this patient, that it would delay her healing.    I am not an ICU 
nurse- adult ICU is WAY beyond my comfort level! - so I am not familar with 
the nutritional challeges of a critically ill adult.  My gut reaction is that 
pumping would not be that much of a risk to this woman.  Even if this woman 
had suffered a pituitary infarct due to the hemorrhage, I felt that we had an 
obligation to try to establish a milk supply.

Is there anyone on Lactnet who is familiar with adult ICU situations that might 
explain this to me?  Or, are the ICU nurses making excuses to not pump this 
mother?

Thank you in advance.
Debbie

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