Deciding When & How Often to Express Human Milk in the Immediate Postpartum Period - Darlene Silver, MSN, RN, IBCLC

We will discuss maternal-neonatal risk factors where expression of human milk should be implemented in the first 3 days of life to support an optimal milk supply. Discussion on the development of a decision-making tree or algorithm designed to support members of the healthcare team when a Lactation Consultant may not be readily available.

Objectives:

• Identify dyads where initiation of expression would be beneficial within the first hour of life.
• Identity dyads where initiation of expression would be beneficial in the first 1-3 days postpartum.
• Identify questions members of the healthcare team should consider when deciding to recommend expression in the first few days postpartum.
• Apply risk factors and targeted questions to develop a user-friendly decision tree healthcare providers and professionals can utilize in their practice setting.