HEALTH FIRST LACTATION TEAM: When Nursing Isn’t an Option, Pumping Becomes a Lifeline

Health First Viera Hospital’s Birth Suites recently celebrated its first anniversary

Exclusive pumping is a lesser–known – but powerful – way to breastfeed babies. And a driven segment of women are dedicated to it.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — Nickie Denholm had a plan for when she became a mom. And it included exclusively breastfeeding her twins.

“They were born at 36 weeks, so they were early,” Denholm said. “As much as I wanted to direct nurse, it wasn’t in the cards for me.”

Denholm, a registered nurse, quickly learned that plans don’t always pan out.

“I ended up pumping, and it was definitely very hard,” Denholm said. 

Denholm didn’t know what to do. And she admits that when trying to exclusively pump, so she could bottle-feed her breast milk to her twins, she “made a lot of mistakes, knowing what I know now. But it was quite the journey.”

Now an Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Denholm helps other moms with the same battle through her work at Health First Viera Hospital’s Birth Suites.

The unit recently celebrated its first anniversary at the hospital, delivering more than 1,000 babies since opening a year ago.

Lactation team is at the ready

According to a 2022 survey by What to Expect, 11% of new moms exclusively pump. The survey also revealed that almost 75% of moms are currently or have previously used a pump – that doesn’t mean exclusively, though. 

The benefits of breastfeeding, including, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):

■ Individualized nutrition that adjusts as the baby grows;

■ Protection for the baby against some short- and long-term illnesses and diseases;

■ Antibodies that boost the baby’s immune system;

■ Convenience (for direct nursers);

■ Health benefits for mom, including a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

The survey revealed 59% of moms saying “nursing is harder than they thought it would be,” and 12% “tried to breastfeed but couldn’t.”

For exclusive pumping (coined “EPing” in the digital world), a portion of moms purposely choose this, noted Denholm, who said the reasons vary.

“They are not interested in the latching,” she said of some women’s why. “They like to have control. They like to see what baby’s getting. So it just works for them.”

And then there are the ones like Denholm – who had a vision that didn’t work out for them.

“They really want to breastfeed, but for whatever reason, baby just can’t latch,” Denholm said of EPers. “They’re still providing breast milk, so they’re still breastfeeding.”

Challenges with direct nursing include:

■ Oral tethers (tongue tie, lip tie, torticollis/wry neck, different positioning problems): Those make it extremely difficult for baby to grasp a breast, and there’s a lot of pain associated with that.

■ Low milk supply

■ Mom’s anatomy: Inverted or flat nipples can make feeding at the breast extremely difficult.

Denholm and the rest of her team at Viera Hospital – as well as the lactation team at Holmes Regional Medical Center’s Birth Suites – has become a lifeline for women with nursing struggles. Because as natural as breastfeeding seems, it takes practice, patience – and, sometimes, a different journey.

“A lot of times my office turns into a therapist’s office,” Denholm shared. “You have your heart set on something…and when that doesn’t happen, it’s like a loss. You have to grieve that loss.”

For those who exclusively pump, Denholm advises renting a hospital-grade pump.

Most insurances cover buying a retail breast pump – if you’d prefer that, she recommends Spectra or Medela:

■ Emptying the breast between eight and 12 times in 24 hours, mimicking what a baby naturally does at the breast;

■ Pump between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m. – that’s when prolactin (the hormone that signals for milk production) peaks and milk output kicks up. This is critical for maintaining a good milk supply.

Moms’ worth ‘is not measured in breast milk’

No matter the challenge, Denholm is here to remind women that they are great moms, regardless of how they feed their children – breast, pumping or formula. It all comes down to what the mom thinks is best for her and her baby.

And get this – pumping is even a TikTok trend. A July 2025 Women’s Health article on the #PumpTok trend describes how the videos spotlight moms showing off their pumped (and banked) milk stashes, aesthetic bottle setups and the satisfying sounds of milk being poured into a glass.

While the article notes that it helps make the nursing and pumping conversation more mainstream, and gets people engaged and sharing helpful tips. Like any social media platform, it runs the risk of some moms seeing others’ successes as their failures.

Don’t.

“The measure of a mother is not measured in breast milk,” Denholm stressed.

Luckily, for moms in Brevard County, there is a lifeline for them. Appointments with Health First’s lactation consultants are offered near Viera Hospital from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Holmes Regional Medical Center’s Birth Suites also offers in-hospital lactation help after birth, as well as hospital-grade pump rentals.

And then there’s the Moms Club, which meets every Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Viera Hospital’s Conference Room A, located in the main lobby.

“We talk about our struggles and our successes,” Denholm said of the welcoming group of supportive moms. “It’s a pretty intimate group. They form bonds and friendships, and they even have groups outside of our group that they go hang out with and do walks and stuff like that.”

After her own challenges, Denholm became passionate about the subject.

“My goal in life is to make this experience one of joy,” Denholm said. “I don’t want you to lose out on precious moments of joy battling breastfeeding.”

And she is adamant she and the team are here to support breastfeeding moms’ journeys.

“I’m very passionate in supporting their journey, whatever that may be,” she said. “If they only want to breastfeed for a week, I’m here to help.”

For more information on breastfeeding support, please call 321.868.8322 for Viera Hospital’s team, 321.434.7365 for Holmes Regional Medical Center’s services, visit hf.org/breastfeeding, or join the Mom’s Club on Facebook for ongoing support and encouragement. Moms do not need to be Health First patients to participate.

Similar Stories