Support of the breast-feeding mother in critical care.

Physiologic stabilization and maintenance of life of a critically ill, newly delivered woman is the immediate priority for the critical care team. Once stabilized however, each mother must be evaluated for lactation status. For the mother who has chosen to bottle-feed her infant, the nurse should initiate nursing care measures to suppress lactation. With the mother who has chosen to breast-feed her infant, the nurse has additional responsibility. Because actual breast-feeding will most likely be suspended temporarily, the nursing staff should be knowledgeable in breast care associated with establishing a milk supply, expressing milk to prevent breast engorgement, and initiating actual breast-feeding when the mother's condition permits. This article provides the advanced practice nurse with information, skills, and resources necessary to assess, initiate, and maintain breast-feeding, one of the most important physiologic and psychologic needs of the mother-infant dyad.