title: Human donor milk for the vulnerable infant: a Canadian perspective.
abstract: Breast milk is the normal way to feed infants and is accepted worldwide as the optimal first source of nutrition. Though the majority intend to breastfeed, many mothers of sick, hospitalized newborns, particularly those of very low birth weight, are unable to provide a full volume of milk due to numerous physical and emotional barriers to breastfeeding. This vulnerable population of infants may benefit most from receiving breast milk nutrition and thus pasteurized donor milk should be the first consideration for supplementation when there is an inadequate supply of mother's own milk. This commentary will briefly review the history of milk banking in Canada, as well as the best available evidence for donor milk use in the very low birth weight population, including available economic analyses, with a view to advocate for its use in these vulnerable infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada ; Division of Neonatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Panczuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5, Canada.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Fitzgerald Building, 150 College Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3E2, Canada ; Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5, Canada ; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Shoo K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Breast milk; Mother’s own milk; Pasteurized human donor milk; Very low birth weight infants
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