Promoting the exclusive feeding of own mother's milk through the use of hindmilk and increased maternal milk volume for hospitalized, low birth weight infants (< 1800 grams) in Nigeria: a feasibility study.
A feasibility study was used to determine (1) if hindmilk feedings of own mother's milk, as reported in the United States, could be instituted in a Nigerian neonatal intensive care unit and result in adequate infant weight gain without exogenous additives; and (2) if the use of a hospital-grade electric breast pump to separate foremilk from hindmilk was feasible in this setting. Mean weight gain for 16 preterm infants during the hindmilk intervention (18.8 g/d) exceeded intrauterine standards without the use of exogenous substances. At the time of hospital discharge, mean maternal daily milk volume was 342 mL/kg/d, indicating that the infants, on average, had 90% more milk available to them than they required. Mean infant weight gains were 14.2 and 16.6 g/d from 1 to 7 and 8 to 23 (x = 14.8) days postdischarge, respectively. Therefore, hindmilk feedings are effective and feasible for hospitalized, low birth weight infants in developing countries, and lactation specialists may use our protocol for further research.
Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Tina
T
Slusher
Rebecca
R
Hampton
Fidelia
F
Bode-Thomas
Sunday
S
Pam
Francis
F
Akor
Paula
P
Meier
D001942:Breast Feeding; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D009549:Nigeria