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Lily's Story
"I promised Lily I would tell her story and change how we care for premature babies by offering milk drops."
For over 30 years I have been feeding premature infants. Then one
night, one baby and one moment changed us and how we care for our
premature infants.
That night, I was assigned to take care of a little preemie called Lily. Lily
was born at 27 weeks and after I did her cares, and nested her in, I
placed a drop of her mother’s milk on her lips. Lily seemed to smile as
she pulled her little hands closer to her face and began to suck stronger
and longer. Her mother was at the bedside crying and laughing all at the same time.
I did not take care of Lily again until the night before her scheduled G-
tube now at 42 weeks. She had become severely aversive. And my first
thought was...surely there’s something wrong with her. So I dug into her
history – read her progress notes – read all her tests – trying to justify
this aversion. Every test that could be done was done and every test
came back negative. No reflux, no vocal cord paralysis, no milk allergies, no aspiration…NOTHING. Now 15 weeks later as I placed a drop of breast milk on Lily’s lips, she pulled her head back and puckered her lips. The space of time from that first encounter made this such a stark contrast.
This was that moment…THAT WE DID THIS...just like the research says...all the negative oral experiences...it had happened so gradually...right before our very eyes.
Meet Barbara O’Rourke, RN-NIC TIP
Barbara O’Rourke is a passionate and dedicated neonatal clinician and research nurse with over three decades of experience at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Throughout her career, Barb has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the care of extremely low birth weight infants, with a focus on quality improvement and neuroprotective strategies. One of her most significant contributions is the development of the “Milk Drop Method”.
Barb is a published author, nationally recognized speaker, and sought-after consultant. She remains actively engaged in clinical research and development. Her dedication to advancing neonatal care while supporting and empowering families has made a lasting impact on both her colleagues and the infants she cares for.
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