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.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:Human milk is the optimal food for newborns. Choices to feed preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units are mother’s milk, donor milk, or formula. Preterm infants have better tolerance for human milk, but the lower caloric density of donor milk might not meet preterm infant growth needs. Preterm infants have higher protein and energy requirements with a limited stomach capacity. Therefore, there is a need for human milk with increased nutrient density.Research Aim:To concentrate donor milk to have a higher caloric and protein density while avoiding side effects of high osmolality by precipitating lactose at low temperatures.Methods:We investigated the results of volume reduction and lactose removal processes on the lactose, protein, osmolality, and viscosity of human milk. Donor milk was obtained from WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank. Homogenization and evaporative condensation were applied to samples (N = 36) before they were stored frozen overnight, followed by refrigerated centrifugation for lactose removal at 0 °C. Supernatants were separated and compared to the composition of controls.Results:A significant reduction of lactose (SW = -262, p < .0001) and osmolality (SW = -211.5 p < .01) was achieved in the concentrated milk without a significant protein loss from centrifugation (SW = -44.5, p = .49). A 30%–40% volume reduction is within the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended osmolality for infant feeding.Conclusion:Concentrating human milk in a milk bank setting for feeding preterm infants might be a simple and low-cost process to achieve a product with higher nutrient density and no non-human components.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Dutch breastfeeding rates are below World Health Organization’s recommendations and targets despite the benefits for individuals and society. Increasing the rates is complex due to multiple breastfeeding deter...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as the practice of providing only breast milk for an infant for the first 6 months of life without the addition of any other food or water, except for vitamins, mineral suppl...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:Pre-approval clinical trials of the Pfizer/BioNTech messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2 did not include participants who were breastfeeding. Therefore, there is limited evidence about outcomes of breastfeeding mother–child dyads and effects on breastfeeding after vaccination.Research Aims:To determine: (1) solicited adverse effects (e.g., axillary lymphadenopathy, mastitis, and breast engorgement), which are unique to lactating individuals; and (2) systemic and local adverse effects of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine on mothers and potential effects on their breastfed infants.Method:This was a prospective cohort study of lactating healthcare workers (N = 88) in Singapore who received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccination (Pfizer/BioNTech). The outcomes of mother–child dyads within 28 days after the second vaccine dose were determined through a participant-completed questionnaire.Results:Minimal effects related to breastfeeding were reported by this cohort; three of 88 (3.4%) participants had mastitis, one (1.1%) participant experienced breast engorgement, five of 88 (5.7%) participants reported cervical or axillary lymphadenopathy. There was no change in human milk supply after vaccination. The most common side effect was pain/redness/swelling at the injection site, which was experienced by 57 (64.8%) participants. There were no serious adverse events of anaphylaxis or hospital admissions. There were no short-term adverse effects reported in the infants of 67 lactating participants who breastfed within 72 hr after BNT162b2 vaccination.Conclusions:BNT162b2 vaccination was well tolerated in lactating participants and was not associated with short-term adverse effects in their breastfed infants.Study Protocol Registration:The study protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04802278).
Timely initiation of breastfeeding can reduce neonatal morbidities and mortality. We aimed to study predictors for timely initiation of breastfeeding (within 1 h of birth) among neonates born in hospitals of N...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:Microwave heating can be effective in preventing cytomegalovirus infection transmitted via human milk. Temperature changes during microwaving using different containers, in different areas inside a container, or using milk from different mothers are not well studied.Research Aim:To determine temperature changes of human milk during microwaving using different containers, in different container areas, using different human milk, and in a 30-ml soft polypropylene bag (sachet) immersed in water.Methods:In this experimental in vitro study, human milk (100 ml) was poured into six different bottles. The temperature was monitored simultaneously at each bottle’s bottom and surface (microwaving at 600 W) and at nine places inside the container (microwaving at 500 W). Human milk (20 ml) from six participants was inserted into a sachet, then immersed in 80 ml of human milk or water in a bottle, and the temperatures inside and outside the sachet during microwaving (at 500 W) were monitored.Results:The temperature changes at the surface were significantly larger than those at the bottom. Temperatures at the bottoms of different bottles, of human milk from different participants, or inside and outside the sachet, did not differ significantly. No temperature outliers inside the bottle were observed.Conclusion:Microwaving at 500 W and 600 W for 60 s was not significantly different in temperature changes among different areas inside bottles or among milk from different participants. A small volume of human milk (up to 100 mL) can be heated using a sachet.
Breastfeeding is associated with lower incidence and severity of lower respiratory tract disease. However, little is known about the relationship between feeding type and breastfeeding duration with bronchioli...
It has been demonstrated that children who had been breastfed remain better protected against various infections, and notably respiratory tract infections, well beyond infancy. Since the role of breastfeeding ...
Despite numerous benefits, many mothers stop breastfeeding soon after birth. A common reason for this is the experience of pain or discomfort. One resource which women use to share their breastfeeding challeng...
Botswana updated its antiretroviral treatment (ART) guidelines in May 2016 to support breastfeeding for women living with HIV (WLHIV) on ART who have documented HIV RNA suppression during pregnancy.
You know that oxytocin and prolactin are critical to lactation outcomes. But how direct is the relationship? If you knew a parents’ oxytocin and prolactin levels following birth, could you make predictions about how soon their milk would come in, their baby’s milk transfer, or even their baby’s weight gain? This is the question Elise […]