Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 May 23;16(10):1838.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16101838.

Stakeholder Attitudes towards Donating and Utilizing Donated Human Breastmilk

Welma Lubbe  1 , Charlene S Oosthuizen  2 , Robin C Dolman  3 , Namukolo Covic  3
Affiliations

Stakeholder Attitudes towards Donating and Utilizing Donated Human Breastmilk

Welma Lubbe et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The promotion and support of human milk banks (HMBs) can enhance exclusive breastfeeding rates. The success and sustainability of HMBs depend on the support from relevant healthcare workers and related communities. This study aimed to determine attitudes of key stakeholders, including mothers, healthcare workers and grandmothers, regarding the donation and receipt of human breastmilk. This study was conducted at a public hospital and clinics in the North West Province, South Africa. Eight focus group discussions explored the attitudes regarding donating and receiving human breastmilk: three groups with mothers of infants (n = 13), three with grandmothers (>60 years old) (n = 17) and two with healthcare professionals working with infants (n = 11). Four main themes emerged: perception regarding breast and formula feeding; exposure to the concept of "wet nursing"; breastmilk donation; and utilization and opinions of community members and traditional healers. Specific barriers identified included the processes for donating and receiving milk, safety, human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) screening and cultural beliefs. Mothers' fears included having insufficient milk for their own infants, changes in the quality of donated milk during pasteurization and transportation and HIV transmission. Despite barriers towards donations to and the use of HMBs, sufficient information could enhance donations by mothers and breastmilk utilization.

Keywords: acceptability; attitudes; breast milk bank; breastfeeding; donated human breast milk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Butte N.F., Lopez-Alarcon M.G., Garza C. Nutrient Adequacy of Exclusive Breastfeeding for the Term Infant during the First Six Months of Life. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2002.
    1. World Health Organization . Guidelines on HIV and Infant Feeding 2010: Principles and Recommendations for Infant Feeding in the Context of HIV and a Summary of Evidence. WHO; Geneva, Switzerland: 2010. - PubMed
    1. Chirico G., Marzollo R., Cortinovis S., Fonte C., Gasparoni A. Anti-infective properties of human milk. J. Nutr. 2008;138:1801S–1806S. doi: 10.1093/jn/138.9.1801S. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hamosh M. Bioactive factors in human milk. Pediatr. Clin. N. Am. 2001;48:69–86. doi: 10.1016/S0031-3955(05)70286-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Black R.E., Morris S.S., Bryce J. Child survival I: Where and why 10 million children die every year? Lancet. 2003;361:2226–2234. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13779-8. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources