title: Breast milk donation after neonatal death in Australia: a report.
abstract: Lactation and breast milk can hold great value and meaning for grieving mothers who have experienced a recent death of an infant. Donation to a human milk bank (HMB) as an alternative to discarding breast milk is one means of respecting the value of breast milk. There is little research, national policy discussion, or organizational representation in Australia on the subject of breast milk donation after infant death. On 29 November 2013 the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, Australia hosted Australia's first National Stakeholder Meeting (NSM) on the topic of milk donation after neonatal death. The NSM drew together representatives from Australian HMBs, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) currently using donor human milk, and Australia's chief NICU parent support organization. The NSM was video-recorded and transcribed, and analyzed thematically by researchers. This article reports the seven dominant themes discussed by stakeholders during the NSM: the spectrum of women's lactation and donation experiences after infant death; the roles of the HMB and NICU in meeting the needs of the bereaved donor; how bereaved mothers' lactation autonomy may interface with a HMB's donation guidelines; how milk donation may be discussed with bereaved mothers; the variation between four categories of milk donation after neonatal death; the impact of limited resources and few HMBs on providing donation programs for bereaved mothers in Australia. This article provides evidence from researchers and practitioners that can assist HMB staff in refining their bank's policy on milk donation after infant death, and provides national policy makers with key considerations to support lactation, human milk banking, and bereavement services nation-wide.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia ; Faculty of Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Harwick 2, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 50091 USA.
authors.forename: Katherine E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia.
authors.forename: Brydan S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lenne
authors.affiliation: Mercy Hospital for Women, 163 Studley Rd, Heidelberg, Melbourne, VIC 3084 Australia.
authors.forename: Kerri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McEgan
authors.affiliation: Mercy Hospital for Women, 163 Studley Rd, Heidelberg, Melbourne, VIC 3084 Australia.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opie
authors.affiliation: Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia ; Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3053 Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Amir
authors.affiliation: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050 Australia.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bredemeyer
authors.affiliation: King Edward Memorial Hospital, 374 Bagot Rd, Subiaco, WA 6008 Australia ; School of Pediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050 Australia.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Butterfield St, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006 Australia.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koorts
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Butterfield St, Herston, Brisbane, QLD 4006 Australia.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McConachy
authors.affiliation: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050 Australia.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mumford
authors.affiliation: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050 Australia.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polverino
keywords: Bereavement; Breast milk donation; Human milk bank; Infant death; Neonatal intensive care