Late preterm and early term infants are at higher risk for complications and need extra breastfeeding support:
“Recognize that some early term infants, born between 37 0/8 and 38 6/7 are also at higher risk compared with term infants… for problems including hyperbilirubinemia, hospital readmission, and reduced breastfeeding initiation and durations.”
This excerpt from the The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) Protocol #10 highlights some of the challenges. The protocol also provides an overview of the extra support needed and practical counseling points including:
"Many of these infants will not effectively suckle when first offered the breast, so consider hand expression and feeding expressed colostrum to the infant... after the first attempted breastfeed"
"If the mother and infant are separated, the mother should begin hand expression of colostrum within the first hour of birth and at ~3 hour intervals"
Click Here to review the full protocol.
"Late Preterm and Early Term Infants" is one of several breastfeeding challenges topics covered in our course Primary Care Breastfeeding Support: The First Weeks. Interested in an overview of the course?
