NDLI: Breastfeeding and human milk bank in a neonatal intensive care unit: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian cohort of very low birth weight infants

Content Provider	Springer Nature : BioMed Central
Author	Bresesti, Ilia Morlacchi, Laura Cazzaniga, Caterina Sangiorgio, Camilla Bertù, Lorenza Bolis, Maria Elena Bossi, Angela Agosti, Massimo
Abstract	Background Parental stress in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) is well known, as is the stress induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. This combination might increase stress to the extent of affecting the availability of maternal expressed milk and the success of establishing breastfeeding. This is particularly relevant in very preterm infants. Methods We conducted a single-centre retrospective analysis in two cohorts of very low birth weight infants born in a hospital in Italy. Babies born before the pandemic (September 2017 – December 2019) (n = 101) and during the pandemic (March 2020 – December 2021) (n = 67) were included in the analysis. We compared the rate of babies fed with maternal milk (both expressed and / or donated) at the achievement of full enteral feeding and the rate of those exclusively breastfed at discharge in the two groups. Then, we analysed the impact of donated human milk availability on infant formula use. We also compared mother’s need for psychological support during NICU stay and the duration of psychological follow-up after discharge. Results In our NICU the availability of expressed maternal milk significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic (86.1% before the pandemic vs 44.8% during the pandemic, p < 0.001) at the time of full enteral feeding achievement. Thanks to the availability of donated human milk, the rate of formula-fed babies remained almost unchanged (13.9% vs 14.9%). At discharge, the rate of breastfeeding was similar (73.3% vs 72.7%). The maternal need for psychological support was significantly higher during the pandemic (33% vs 64%, p < 0.001), as well as the duration of follow-up > 6 months (1% vs 15%, p < 0.001). No differences in the main clinical outcomes were found. Conclusion Pandemic-induced stress had a significant impact on the availability of expressed maternal milk in NICU. However, the presence of human donated milk was fundamental in preventing increased use of infant formula during NICU stays. This underlines how strategies to implement the widespread establishment of donor milk banks on a national level are warranted. Further research is desirable to optimise the use of donated human milk banks during emergency situations.
Related Links	https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13006-022-00529-x.pdf
Ending Page	7
Page Count	7
Starting Page	1
File Format	HTM / HTML
ISSN	17464358
DOI	10.1186/s13006-022-00529-x
Journal	International Breastfeeding Journal
Issue Number	1
Volume Number	17
Language	English
Publisher	BioMed Central
Publisher Date	2022-12-29
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Maternal and Child Health Preterm infants Neonatal nutrition Donated human milk Parental stress COVID-19 pandemic
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Obstetrics and Gynecology Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Journal Impact Factor	2.9/2023
5-Year Journal Impact Factor	3.6/2023

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Donated human milk use and subsequent feeding pattern in neonatal units

Initiation of lactation and the provision of human milk to preterm infants in German neonatal intensive care units from the mothers’ perspective

Length of stay in a neonatal intensive care unit and its association with low rates of exclusive breastfeeding in very low birth weight infants

Body temperatures of very low birth weight infants on admission to a neonatal intensive care unit

Donor milk intake and infant growth in a South African neonatal unit: a cohort study

Thai novice nurses’ lived experiences and perspectives of breastfeeding and human milk in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Provision of mother's own milk for preterm infants during the COVID-19 pandemic: Differential effect of insurance

Pressure to provide milk among mothers of very low birth weight infants: an explorative study

Practices supporting cue-based breastfeeding of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units across Europe

Breastfeeding and human milk bank in a neonatal intensive care unit: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian cohort of very low birth weight infants

Similar Documents

Donated human milk use and subsequent feeding pattern in neonatal units

Initiation of lactation and the provision of human milk to preterm infants in German neonatal intensive care units from the mothers’ perspective

Length of stay in a neonatal intensive care unit and its association with low rates of exclusive breastfeeding in very low birth weight infants

Body temperatures of very low birth weight infants on admission to a neonatal intensive care unit

Donor milk intake and infant growth in a South African neonatal unit: a cohort study

Thai novice nurses’ lived experiences and perspectives of breastfeeding and human milk in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Provision of mother's own milk for preterm infants during the COVID-19 pandemic: Differential effect of insurance

Pressure to provide milk among mothers of very low birth weight infants: an explorative study

Practices supporting cue-based breastfeeding of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units across Europe

Breastfeeding and human milk bank in a neonatal intensive care unit: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian cohort of very low birth weight infants