Royal Blackburn Hospital - Breast Pump

UPDATE: This equipment was delivered in 2010.

The Children’s Unit at the Royal Blackburn Hospital is a busy regional unit, caring for children from birth to 16. The unit takes babies from just a few days old; once a baby has been discharged from the delivery unit, any condition that needs hospital treatment will be dealt with by the Children’s Unit rather than the Neo Natal Unit.

Babies can be admitted for a variety of reasons, and their condition can interfere with their ability to breast feed naturally. Examples include chest and heart conditions, which mean the baby is too breathless to feed independently, and severe infections which cause lethargy, interfering with feeding. Some situations such as the need for surgery mean that the baby can’t feed at the normal times. In all these situations a mother who is breastfeeding will need to express milk to ensure the supply does not dry up.

The expressed milk can then be saved until the baby is well enough,or used to tube feed the baby. Breast milk is known to improve immunity and aid digestion, and this is really important in babies suffering from ill health. On average 30-40 babies each year are seen on the unit, and by providing this breast pump we can ensure that mothers continue to breastfeed despite their baby’s ill health.

The electric breast pumps are far more effective and easy to use than the hand-operated devices, helping mothers to ensure enough milk is expressed at a very stressful time.

The pump will cost £649.00, and is exclusively for use at theChildren’s Unit, Blackburn.