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. 2013 Jun;131(6):1066-71.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-3823. Epub 2013 May 13.

Prevalence of use of human milk in US advanced care neonatal units

Cria G Perrine  1 , Kelley S Scanlon
Affiliations

Prevalence of use of human milk in US advanced care neonatal units

Cria G Perrine et al. Pediatrics. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Background and objective: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all preterm infants receive human milk. The objective of this study was to describe the use of human milk in advanced care neonatal units of US maternity hospitals.

Methods: We used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey from 2007, 2009, and 2011 to analyze 2 questions to describe the prevalence of US advanced care (special/level 2 or intensive/level 3) neonatal units routinely providing human milk to infants, and the use of any donor milk in these units.

Results: In 2011, 30.8% of maternity hospitals reported that most infants (≥90%) were routinely provided human milk in advanced care units, compared with 26.7% in 2009 and 21.2% in 2007 (trend P < .001). States in the Northwest and Northeast had a higher prevalence of hospitals routinely providing human milk to ≥90% of infants in advanced care units. In 2011, 22.0% of maternity hospitals providing advanced care used banked donor milk, compared with 14.4% in 2009 and 11.5% in 2007 (trend P < .001). Most of this increase occurred in intensive care units (25.1% 2007 vs 45.2% 2011; trend P < .001). There was substantial geographic variation in the prevalence of advanced care units using donor milk; generally the prevalence was higher in the West and in states with a milk bank in the state or a neighboring state.

Conclusions: The use of human milk in US advanced care neonatal units is increasing; however, only one-third of these units are routinely providing human milk to most infants.

Keywords: NICU; donor milk; hospital; human milk; intensive care; special care.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The prevalence of maternity hospitals with an advanced care unit that routinely provided human milk to most (≥90%) infants in the unit, by state, mPINC 2011. (#) is the number of hospitals with an advanced care unit in each state included in the analysis; data were suppressed when this sample was <5.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The prevalence of maternity hospitals with an advanced care unit ever using banked donor milk in 2011, by state, and the location of active milk banks. (#) is the number of hospitals with an advanced care unit in each state included in the analysis; data were suppressed when this sample was <5.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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