Supplemental nursing system

The supplemental nursing system (SNS) consists of a container and a capillary tube leading from the container to the mother's nipple.

The SNS container can be filled with fresh pumped breastmilk, with fresh donor milk, with pasteurized donor milk, or, if no human milk is available, with infant formula.

The tubing is usually attached with removable tape. When the newborn infant suckles on the breast, the infant is nourished both by fluid from the capillary tube and by the mother's breastmilk from the nipple. The mother's milk supply is stimulated by the infant suckling, and in most cases the use of the SNS can be discontinued in a few days or weeks when the mother's milk supply has risen to meet the infant's needs. Mothers usually obtain SNS supplies from a lactation consultant.

A supplemental nursing system is used by breastfeeding mothers for different reasons

When an SNS is used, it is still feeding breastmilk, the device ideally helps coming back to exclusive breastfeeding. Mother and baby are in close (possibly skin to skin) contact which helps lactation hormones to act ; for milk ejection effect and for bonding, prolactin for milk synthesis. The rule is, like for breastfeeding : look for feeding cues in baby, and feed on demand.

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