How to use SNS

When faced with lactation problems, you feel helpless. The little newborn needs to eat and the nursing just isn't working like it should. A solution to increase your milk supply is to use a nursing supplementer. This useful device not only increases milk supply, but encourages improved suckling and enables adoptive mothers to nurse their baby. Here is how to use a nursing supplementer

Determine the Kind of Supplementation Your Baby Needs
Step 1

Notify your pediatrician and obstetrician about your lactation difficulty. Most pediatricians will want to weigh the baby every 3 to 5 days in the beginning and check for dehydration. Your obstetrician can prescribe certain drugs or may recommend certain herbal tinctures that may help you increase your milk supply.

Step 2

Contact a lactation consultant. Ask her for a recommendation of what type of supplementer to get. The two popular brands available are the Lact-Aid and Medela's SNS.

Step 3
Read the directions thoroughly. Each supplementer works in basically the same way, but each will have its own quirks to get it to work right.

Set Up the Supplementer
Step 1
Fill the bag or bottle with pumped breast milk or formula. Set it on a paper towel or in its filler stand to keep it clean.

Step 2
Select the size tubing right for your baby. The tubing comes in three sizes, small, medium and large diameter. The supplementer directions may tell you to start with the largest tubing and work down to the smallest, but ask your lactation consultant which is the best size for your situation.

Step 3
Tighten the tube cap on the bottle or bag and, if the bottle has more than one tube, tape one tube to the bottle. This will leave you with only one rubber tube to wrestle away from your baby.

Step 4
Secure the string attachment around your neck. The bottle or bag should rest slightly above your breasts on your chest with the tube end at about the midline.

Step 5
Tape the other tube just beyond the tip of your nipple on your nursing breast using gentle paper tape. You might find it easier to tape down the length of the tube rather than across the tube like some supplementer's directions. Do not put tape beyond the edge of your areola because this skin is very sensitive.

Latching On and Nursing With the Supplementer
Step 1
Bring baby to your breast. Keep the baby's nose even with your nipple.

Step 2
Latch baby on while trying to keep the tubing even with your nipple. The tube sometimes slips out and some babies even spit out the tubing but have patience, this is the most difficult part of the whole process. With a little practice both of you will know what to expect.

Step 3
Keep an eye on the supplementer for air going into the bottle. If air is not going into the supplementer, it will create a vacuum and the baby can't get any formula or breast milk out.

Step 4
Let the baby lead the feeding. Don't be alarmed if your little one doesn't take as much as you think he should. He is getting some breast milk and your body should be producing more.

Step 5
Remove the tape gently and if any seems to be stuck, rub some olive oil on it to loosen it. Wash the oil off before nursing again.