Infant Feeding During an Emergency

In honor of Red Cross Month, blogs in the b5media Science and Health Channel discuss emergency preparedness today at the theme day hosted by Tris Hussey of Homely Scientist. What is the protocol for feeding an infant during an emergency, whether your child receives breast milk or artificial baby milk? (Sorry folks, I have to use the term “artificial baby milk” because if I use the “f” word, so to speak LOL, I get lots of advertisements for artificial baby milk on the breastfeeding blog.) Also I’ll link to the following, since I know the mention of the Red Cross makes nursing mothers wonder: Can breastfeeding mothers donate blood?

The hierarchy for infant feeding in an emergency is as follows:
(1) breastfeeding, (1)(a) relactating within six months of giving birth or relactating after stopping breastfeeding, (2) ready-to-feed artificial baby milk, and powdered artificial baby milk prepared with (3) bottled water, (4) boiled water and (5) treated water.

(1) Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding saves infant lives during an emergency. For proof, all we have to do is look to the cases of Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami disaster and the story of the Kim family trapped in the snow. A lack of sanitary water sources and adequate supplies of infant food puts non-breastfed babies at extra risk during a disaster. Breastfeeding also protects the baby from respiratory illnesses and diarrhea–two common ailments that can be killers during times of disaster.

If a mother is breastfeeding her baby she should continue to allow the baby to nurse as often as the baby desires. This helps keep up the mother’s milk supply and offers comfort to both the baby and the mother (the breastfeeding hormone prolactin helps a mother relax).

Make sure you have stored plenty of water to keep a nursing mother hydrated during a disaster. The average person needs a half-gallon of water per day and the nursing mother needs more than that–enough to prevent thirst and keep her urine a pale yellow color. While food may be conserved in an emergency, experts say that water should not be rationed. The mother should drink water as needed and try to find additional sources of safe drinking water.

If the mother cannot nurse due to separation or injury, don’t forget about any expressed breast milk stored in the freezer! Some things to consider: pumping or hand-expressing a reasonable amount of milk as part of an emergency preparedness plan, having a generator as a back-up energy source to keep the refrigerator or deep-freezer operating during a power outage, brainstorming other measures to keep the milk frozen/cooled such as bags of ice or outdoor elements such as snow, and printing out a chart of breast milk storage times.

(1)(a). Relactation. According to La Leche League, a mother can have a full milk supply quickly if she has given birth within the last five days, and even a mother who has given birth within the last six months can slowly build up a milk supply by putting her baby to breast or hand-expressing every two hours. Mothers who recently weaned can also relactate.

(2) Ready-made artificial baby milk. If a mother is not breastfeeding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends ready-to-feed artificial baby milk. As expensive as it is, it eliminates concerns about whether any available water is safe for the preparation of powdered milks.

(3), (4), and (5). Powdered milks prepared with bottled, boiled or treated water. As a last resort, the CDC recommends preparing powdered milks with bottled, boiled or treated water (in that order).

See this comprehensive compilation of resources for more information on infant feeding during an emergency.