It’s one of the most natural things in the world, but breastfeeding isn’t easy for all mums.
For some, it takes a lot of work to build up their milk supply, and learn how to breastfeed their baby.
One product that can help some mums to breastfeed is something called a supplemental nursing system.
A supplemental nursing system involves feeding a baby through a tube that is taped to the breast.
As a fact sheet from The Royal Women’s Hospital in Victoria says, “Expressed breast milk or infant formula can be given through a fine tube, known as a supply line, taped to your breast so that the end of the tube is close to your nipple during breastfeeding. As your baby sucks, extra milk comes down the tube from a small container worn on a cord around your neck.”
When a baby feeds from the supply line, they drink more milk and tend to feed longer, which in turn, stimulates the nipples to make more milk.
Tell Me Baby community members have tried the Medela Supplemental Nursing System (SNS), and their reviews are pretty positive.
One mum credited this product with saving her breastfeeding journey.
“My newborn baby had a bottle preference due to an undiagnosed tongue tie and he would not breastfeed,” she says.
“After using this for a couple of days and slowly removing it mid-feed and eventually removing it completely my bottle-fed baby became solely breastfed.
“It’s tricky to get set up and can’t be done quickly but this saved my breastfeeding journey and I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Another mum said she found this product “super helpful”.
“Due to a low supply, bub absolutely hated feeding from the breast which in turn meant I had very underestimated breasts. After almost 2 weeks of use with the Medela SNS, my breasts are now being stimulated from bub happily drinking away without the fuss and my own supply is increasing.”
Read more Medela Supplemental Nursing System reviews.
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