Breastfeeding very low birthweight infants in Brazil: a successful experience

Breastfeeding has multiple benefits for all infants, including very low birthweight infants. Mothers face many difficulties when initiating and maintaining milk production throughout hospitalisation yet our experiences show that it is possible to maintain milk production, even over long stays, and that most preterm babies can be breastfed at discharge.

Mariana González de Oliveira

MD, MSc, PhD Professor of Neonatology, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, and Neonatologist, Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
marianagz@ufscpa.edu.br

Desirée de Freitas Valle Volkmer MD

Chief Neonatologist, Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

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Keywords

human milk; low birthweight infant; breastfeeding; preterm

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 4/AUGUST 2026

Parental and health professionals’ attitudes towards donor human milk: Implications for utilisation, breastfeeding outcomes and future directions

Donor human milk (DHM) is widely recommended as the preferred alternative when mother’s own milk is unavailable, particularly for preterm and vulnerable infants. Despite strong international guidance, DHM utilisation remains variable across countries, neonatal networks and individual units. This review synthesises evidence on early DHM introduction and breastfeeding outcomes, international recommendations, cultural acceptability, service demand, clinical practice variation and regulatory frameworks. Emerging evidence indicates that early DHM use does not undermine maternal lactation and may support breastfeeding continuation when integrated within structured lactation support pathways.