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
. 2024 Jan;20(1):e13594.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.13594. Epub 2023 Dec 5.

Potential effectiveness of integrating human milk banking and lactation support on neonatal outcomes at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Kenya

Calistus Wilunda  1 , Kiersten Israel-Ballard  2 , Milka Wanjohi  1 , Nelson Lang'at  1 , Kimberly Mansen  2 , Mary Waiyego  3 , Minnie Kibore  4 , Eva Kamande  1 , Taddese Zerfu  1 , Angela Kithua  4 , Rosemarie Muganda  4 , Juliana Muiruri  4 , Beth Maina  3 , Emily Njuguna  3 , Faith Njeru  3 , Laura W Kiige  5 , Patrick Codjia  5 , Betty Samburu  6 , Esther Mogusu  6 , Thomas Ngwiri  7 , Waithera Mirie  8 , Elizabeth W Kimani-Murage  1
Affiliations

Potential effectiveness of integrating human milk banking and lactation support on neonatal outcomes at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Kenya

Calistus Wilunda et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

We assessed the potential effectiveness of human milk banking and lactation support on provision of human milk to neonates admitted in the newborn unit (NBU) at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Kenya. This pre-post intervention study collected data from mothers/caregivers and their vulnerable neonates or term babies who lacked sufficient mother's milk for several reasons admitted in the NBU. The intervention included establishing a human milk bank and strengthening lactation support. Preintervention data were collected between 5 October 2018 and 11 November 2018, whereas postintervention data were collected between 4 September 2019 and 6 October 2019. Propensity score-matched analysis was performed to assess the effect of the intervention on exclusive use of human milk, use of human milk as the first feed, feeding intolerance and duration of NBU stay. The surveys included 123 and 116 newborns at preintervention and postintervention, respectively, with 160 newborns (80 in each group) being included in propensity score matched analysis. The proportion of neonates who exclusively used human milk during NBU stay increased from 41.3% preintervention to 63.8% postintervention (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31, 5.53) and those whose first feed was human milk increased from 55.0% preintervention to 83.3% postintervention (adjusted OR: 5.09; 95% CI: 2.18, 11.88). The mean duration of NBU stay was 27% (95% CI: 5.8%, 44.0%) lower in the postintervention group than in the preintervention group. The intervention did not affect feeding intolerance. Integrating human milk banking and lactation support may improve exclusive use of human milk among vulnerable neonates in a resource limited setting.

Keywords: breast milk; human milk bank; lactation support; low birth weight; newborn; preterm.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study profile showing the number of participants before and after propensity score matching.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agostoni, C. , Buonocore, G. , Carnielli, V. , De Curtis, M. , Darmaun, D. , Decsi, T. , Domellöf, M. , Embleton, N. , Fusch, C. , Genzel‐Boroviczeny, O. , Goulet, O. , Kalhan, S. , Kolacek, S. , Koletzko, B. , Lapillonne, A. , Mihatsch, W. , Moreno, L. , Neu, J. , Poindexter, B. , … Ziegler, E. (2010). Enteral nutrient supply for preterm infants: Commentary from the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition, 50(1), 85–91. 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3181adaee0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arslanoglu, S. , Corpeleijn, W. , Moro, G. , Braegger, C. , Campoy, C. , Colomb, V. , Decsi, T. , Domellöf, M. , Fewtrell, M. , Hojsak, I. , Mihatsch, W. , Mølgaard, C. , Shamir, R. , Turck, D. , & van Goudoever, J. (2013). Donor human milk for preterm infants: Current evidence and research directions. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition, 57(4), 535–542. 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182a3af0a - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arslanoglu, S. , Moro, G. E. , Bellù, R. , Turoli, D. , De Nisi, G. , Tonetto, P. , & Bertino, E. (2013). Presence of human milk bank is associated with elevated rate of exclusive breastfeeding in VLBW infants. Journal of Perinatal Medicine, 41(2), 129–131. 10.1515/jpm-2012-0196 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Austin, P. C. (2008). A critical appraisal of propensity‐score matching in the medical literature between 1996 and 2003. Statistics in Medicine, 27(12), 2037–2049. 10.1002/sim.3150 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bagga, N. , Kurian, S. , Mohamed, A. , Reddy, P. , & Chirla, D. K. (2022). Pasteurized donor human milk should not replace mother's own milk in preterm neonates: A quality initiative toward decreasing the “PDHM dependency”. Breastfeeding Medicine, 17(3), 252–258. 10.1089/bfm.2021.0155 - DOI - PubMed