Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:The staff of maternity hospitals play an essential role in the start of breastfeeding. This study assessed specific aspects of breastfeeding promotion in German hospitals using the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the ...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:The staff of maternity hospitals play an essential role in the start of breastfeeding. This study assessed specific aspects of breastfeeding promotion in German hospitals using the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).Research Aim:To identify specific hospital practices and structures that are in compliance with the recommendations and those that still need to be improved.Method:A cross-sectional survey and descriptive analysis was conducted in 109 German hospitals. This web-based questionnaire examined the structural conditions and usual handling of breastfeeding support. Recommendations were reported using sub-criteria.Results:The implementation of the sub-criteria ranged from less than 25% to more than 90%. Hospitals were more likely to have a breastfeeding policy (85.3%, n = 93) than a breastfeeding coordinator (73.4%, n = 80). Immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth and early breastfeeding initiation were implemented more frequently after a vaginal (89.9%, n = 98 and 71.6%, n = 78) than after Cesarean delivery (45.9%, n = 50 and 54.1%, n = 59). Additional feeding of fluids was usually restricted to a medical indication (70.6%, n = 77), however, the decision to feed formula was rarely made by hospital staff alone (27.5%, n = 30). Large hospitals (> 1000 births/year) had a written breastfeeding policy and a breastfeeding coordinator more frequently than smaller hospitals (p < 0.01, Fisher’s exact test).Conclusion:The use of sub-criteria of WHO recommendations helped identify critical parts of breastfeeding promotion in hospitals, providing concrete starting points for targeted interventions. This differentiated approach could be promising for future analyses of breastfeeding promotion.
An offshoot of selfie taking is the “Brelfie” – a self-image capturing breastfeeding. Brelfie images and accompanying text are particularly useful to understanding how parents see themselves in their role with...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
The term “weaning” is used heterogeneously in scientific and gray literature, with no commonly agreed-upon definition. Weaning can describe the gradual transition in the infant diet, usually from milk feedings to complementary foods, but it is also ...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
The term “weaning” is used heterogeneously in scientific and gray literature, with no commonly agreed-upon definition. Weaning can describe the gradual transition in the infant diet, usually from milk feedings to complementary foods, but it is also commonly used to describe any gradual transition between milks, foods, or feeding modalities. In an epidemiological context, it may also refer to changing breastfeeding rates within a cohort. The meaning of weaning has changed over time and may vary by the scientific assumptions applied to this period of human development. For these reasons, we propose that investigators avoid using the term weaning, and substitute it with more precise terminology. We present a series of proposed standard terms with corresponding definitions to guide more precise and accurate reporting of the various potential meanings of the term in the scientific literature. The objective is to improve reporting and reproducibility of research in the field of breastfeeding and human lactation.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Breastfeeding protects mothers against breast cancer. Our study aimed to estimate the healthcare cost-savings resulting from a reduction in breast cancer attributed to an increase in the breastfeeding rate in ...
Human milk from the breast is the healthiest option for infants. Other sources of nutrition pose some risk to child, maternal, and environmental health. There are significant costs to suboptimal rates of breas...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:There is increasing interest in better understanding the immune cell composition of human milk and how these cells interact with neonatal immune development. However, consistent methods for immune cell isolation from human milk are lacking....
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:There is increasing interest in better understanding the immune cell composition of human milk and how these cells interact with neonatal immune development. However, consistent methods for immune cell isolation from human milk are lacking.Research Aim:Our aim was to systematically compare available cell isolation techniques to isolate T lymphocytes from human milk samples.Methods:This repeated measures study design compared three cell isolation methods using human milk samples: (1) centrifugation, (2) immunomagnetic bead isolation, and (3) a combination of both methods. We assessed the proportion and viability of CD3+, CD4+, CD25+ and regulatory T cells using flow cytometry in isolated cells to compare the performance of these isolation methods.Results:Immunomagnetic separation is a feasible method to isolate T lymphocytes in human milk, similar to blood. It improves target cell enrichment and cell viability compared to centrifugation, which may be an advantage when the goal is to characterize rare cell types or when cells are further used in functional assays. No excess cell activation (CD25 positivity) was observed with the use of magnetic beads.Conclusion:Immunomagnetic separation of human milk T lymphocytes may have advantages over centrifugation depending on the intended downstream use of cells.
Most women can produce enough milk to exclusively breastfeed. However, a small cohort are prevented from doing so due to a condition known as primary low milk supply. The aim of the study was to provide new insig...
To evaluate breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices and their determinants among infants and young children in the United Arab Emirates using the 2021 WHO/UNICEF IYCF guidelines.
The WHO/UNICEF global nutrition target for exclusive breastfeeding for six months is at least 70% of infants by 2030. However, global prevalence rates are 48% with variations between countries and within regio...
Despite efforts to promote optimal breastfeeding practices, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding is low in South Africa. We conducted a trial to determine whether text messaging plus motivational interviewi...