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 16/ISSUE3, MAY 2020

Response of UK milk banks to ensure the safety and supply of donor human milk in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting several challenges to human milk banks and has highlighted a number of vulnerabilities in service provision that have been long known by those who work in the sector. In recent weeks, milk banks across the UK have worked together to understand any risks posed to infants, milk bank staff and volunteers by COVID-19, and to put in place mitigation strategies to ensure the safeguarded provision and safety of donor human milk. The authors call on policymakers to better support these essential services for vulnerable neonates during the COVID-19 pandemic and minimise the impact of future challenges through greater investment in milk bank infrastructure, research and innovation.