Antepartum Breast Pump Education for Mothers and Their Support Person: Effect on Time to First Expression and Lactation Outcomes-A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of providing antenatal education regarding milk expression to the support person (SP) of mothers of preterm infants on time to initial milk expression following delivery and daily volume of expressed mother's own milk. Methods: Sixty-one mothers delivering infants <35 weeks gestation and their SP were randomized to receive antenatal education regarding milk expression or to receive standard care. Time to initiation of milk expression was determined through self-report and verified through the electronic medical records. Expressed milk volume was measured on days 1-7 and weekly for 3 weeks. Results: No difference in time to first expression or expressed milk volume was found between groups. Posthoc analysis suggests those in the antenatal education group were more likely to express without nursing assistance and expressed more frequently during days 1-5. Conclusions: SP antenatal education may be an important step in supporting lactation in mothers of critically ill infants. Further research is needed to determine whether SP education during both the antenatal and early postpartum periods could improve lactation success. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04006509.

Keywords: antenatal; breast pumping; breastfeeding; education; lactation; neonatal intensive care unit; preterm.