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

Abstract

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.