Our Mission
The Rush Mothers’ Milk Club is an evidence-based NICU lactation program that empowers families to prioritize mothers’ own milk for their NICU infants. This mission is accomplished through sharing the science of mothers’ own milk and donor human milk, as well as lactation processes and risk factors that affect milk production in this vulnerable population. The Rush Mothers’ Milk Club also conducts original translational research that targets the removal of barriers to high-dose, long-exposure mothers’ own milk feedings for premature and other NICU infants. This research informs the Rush Mothers’ Milk Club development and dissemination of best clinical practice guidelines for the use of mothers’ own milk in the NICU.
WHAT WE DO
The Milk Club
The Rush Mothers’ Milk Club is the name of the Mothers’ own milk feeding program in the NICU at Rush University Medical Center. The clinical program is based on the most up-to-date research about mothers’ own milk, donor human milk and NICU populations. The neonatologists, nurses, dietitians and breastfeeding peer counselors share this research with families so that they can partner with the NICU staff members to collect, store and feed each mother’s milk using techniques and procedures that most benefit the individual baby.
Translational Research
The Rush Mothers’ Milk Club translational research is multi-focused.
Breastfeeding Peer Counselors
These employees are mothers of former NICU infants, all of whom received care in the Rush NICU.
Friday Luncheon Meetings
An informal setting for families to learn the science of human milk and lactation, and meet other NICU families.
Interested in Becoming A Breastfeeding Peer Counselor?Enroll in our five-day training class.
Translational Research
The Rush Mothers’ Milk Club also conducts translational research that is focused on the removal of barriers to high-dose, long-exposure feedings of mothers’ own milk for NICU infants, including:
- The use of mothers’ own milk and donor human milk to optimize infant health.
- Making breast pumping more effective, efficient, comfortable and convenient for NICU mothers.
- Using evidence-based lactation technologies, such as the creamatocrit and test-weighing, to take the “guess work” out of feedings in the NICU, thereby avoiding unnecessary formula supplementation.
- Collaborative research addressing gut microflora and immunoregulatory components in mothers’ milk.
- The economics of human milk feedings for NICU infants.
About Our Breastfeeding Peer Counselors
A unique feature of the Rush Mothers’ Milk Club is the practice of certified breastfeeding peer counselors (BPCs). These employees are mothers of former NICU infants who were cared for in the Rush NICU. After getting settled at home, these women trained to become certified BPCs and completed an intensive orientation program to provide lactation care to other mothers in the Rush NICU. The Rush NICU Human Milk Team has published many research reports about the effects of the BPCs on lactation care, including an award winning paper by the team’s qualitative researcher, Dr. Beverly Rossman. In this study, mothers reported that the BPC practice was so effective because the BPCs had “walked in my shoes.”
Meet
Our Team
Neonatologists, nurses, dieticians and Breastfeeding Peer Counselors (BPCs) share cutting-edge research about the uniqueness of mothers’ own milk and its beneficial health outcomes with families of premature and other NICU infants. Together, family and staff create a collaborative relationship that promotes the collection, storage and feeding of as much mother’s own milk as possible. The Rush Mothers’ Milk Club (RMMC) is available to all families with infants in the Rush University Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and provides information tailored to the unique experience of providing mothers’ own milk during and after the NICU hospitalization. A special feature of the RMMC is that most direct lactation care is provided by BPCs, who are all mothers of former Rush NICU infants.
Paula Meier, PhD, RN, FAAN
Program Director
Aloka L. Patel, MD
Associate Professor and Attending Neonatologist
Katie McGee, RN, BSN, IBCLC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program Coordinator
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program Coordinator
Kristie Kady, RN, BSN, IBCLC Chairperson, Rush Lactation Committee
Chairperson, Rush Lactation Committee
Judy Janes, RN, BSN, IBCLC Research Coordinator, Registered Nurse, NICU
Research Coordinator, Registered Nurse, NICU
Patoula Panagos, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Attending Neonatologist
Janet Engstrom, PhD, RN, CNM, WHNP
Chairperson, Department of Women, Children, and Family Nursing
Anita Esquirra-Zwiers
Recently Completed Graduate Student
Michelle Greene, PhD
Assistant Professor & Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Beverly Rossman, PhD
Research Specialist
Michael Schoeny, PhD
Assistant Professor
Marquita Turner, BPC
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Level 1
Natasha Beauchamp, BPC, CLE
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Level 2