When I was pregnant with my first baby, I imagined those precious first days very differently.
I looked forward to holding my baby close, learning how to breastfeed and taking him home to begin our new life together as a family. Like many first-time mums, I had a picture in my mind of how it would be.
Instead, our journey took an unexpected turn.
My son, Leo, arrived unexpectedly at 35 weeks and 5 days. Instead of spending our first days together on the postnatal ward, he was admitted to NICU with high levels of jaundice.
Vijithaa’s newborn baby son in NICU
Turning to Pumping
Because Leo was premature and in NICU, establishing feeding looked very different from what I had planned.
During our six-day hospital stay, I exclusively pumped to provide breast milk for him. As he came before 36 weeks this also meant I had no colostrum to provide and so had to wait for my milk to come in. This is when pumping came in so handy.
Using the Ardo Carum hospital-grade electric breast pump, I spent 30 minutes expressing milk for every feed. Day and night, I followed the same routine of pumping, storing milk and taking it to my baby.
Those early days were exhausting. Recovery from birth, lack of sleep and the emotional stress of having a baby in NICU made everything feel harder.
But pumping gave me something positive to focus on.
At a time when so much felt outside of my control, expressing milk was something I could do for my baby. It allowed me to continue supporting him even when I couldn’t always hold him in my arms.
The Ardo Carum breast pump
How pumping helped me
The Ardo Carum became an important part of our NICU journey.
When your baby is receiving treatment and you’re spending hours moving between the ward and the neonatal unit, having reliable equipment makes a huge difference.
The pump helped me establish my milk supply during those critical first days and gave me confidence that I was able to provide breast milk for Leo despite the challenges we were facing. Every bottle of expressed milk felt like a small achievement and a reminder that I was doing everything I could for him.
As a first-time mum, it was a reminder that even the smallest of milestones deserve to be celebrated.
Vijithaa snuggling wither her baby son
Where We Are Now
Today, Leo is 8 weeks old and our feeding journey has continued to evolve.
After exclusively pumping throughout our six-day hospital stay, we gradually transitioned to breastfeeding. These days, breastfeeding is our main way of feeding, although I still use my pump occasionally.
Looking back, it’s incredible to think about how far we’ve both come.
My Advice to Other NICU Mums
If you’re pumping milk in the middle of the night while your baby is in NICU, know that you’re not alone. Take things one day at a time. Celebrate every small victory and most importantly, be kind to yourself. Having a feeding journey that looks different from what you expected doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
