Do hospital provide breast pump

[bethter]

Hey all . There's a possibility my first baby could be born as soon as 35 weeks due to placenta complications. If he has no sucking reflex yet and had to be fed through a tube, do the hospital provide you with a breast pump or do they feed them formula?
Any help appreciated x

My NICU had a pumping room with several powerful machines. You can't use them until day 3 when your milk comes in though, before you can try to extract collostrum with a syringe and they'll top up your baby up with formula.

@JungleGiraffe thank you x

Yes, as PP said they have big powerful electric pumps which are brilliant. If your baby is early you may be offered donor breast milk rather than formula - I was given donor milk for DD. No idea whether Covid situation would affect this though.

@emsyj37 oh good, donor milk would be good but probably not right now, like you say. Thank you!

My hospital had breast pumps for women to use.

Before my milk came in, I collected colostrum with a syringe, and they used formula to top up. Donor breast milk wasn’t offered at my hospital, that might vary depending on your region?

I had DS at 36 weeks and managed to collect colostrum, it's easier if you massage your breast to pump it and DH hold the syringe to collect it, don't expect loads you'll be chuffed filling a 1ml syringe! DS spent a week in NICU, I manage to get him to latch before he went down so he had his sucking reflex at that stage but was tube fed as then put on a ventilator. I stayed on the ward and the hospital gave me sole use of an industrial strength medala pump on wheels so I could move it around by bay it was amazing! They topped up with formula provided by the hospital and asked which brand I wanted to use and would store and label all my milk I pumped and give him that. All very supportive and the hospital provide all the pots to collect milk and labels for you then I'd drop it down to NICU after each pump

both of mine were prem, DS went straight to nicu, there were pumps in the rooms and a seperate room too. DD had to stay on the ward and i couldn't get a pump at all so got my OH to bring in my tommee tippee one, DD was moved to specialist nicu for surgery and again, loads in the rooms with the babies and a seperate room for it.

The hospital I had ds3 in did. There were two at labour ward and the same In postnatal ward. You had to share it with the other women on the ward but I was given my own part that your attach to the machine. NICU had their own machine in the milk room.

That hospital had a specially trained lactation midwife there that could lend machine out to take home until you order or have a chance to order one. She also gave me valuable advice regarding breastfeeding and how to collect milk (first attempt manual expression then go to the pump). Ask to see a breastfeeding midwife (I have no idea how it works with covid 19 as most things have been stopped or postponed).

I’m on a postnatal ward atm. Havent seen any pumps here but there are lots in nicu. There were also specialist bf midwives in the birth centre to help. Twin 2 is currently in nicu and I have been encouraged to hand express.
Good luck!

There were a couple available but they were never washed or sterilised properly.

Thanks everyone, he's not making an appearance for now after giving us a scare but thank you all for advice x