Donated human milk use and subsequent feeding pattern in neonatal units

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Human milk research
• Clinical auditing

Background:

• Donated human milk (DHM) serves as a safe alternative to mother's own milk (MOM).
• Clinical indications for DHM and its effect on feeding practices require further clarification.
• This study audits DHM use and its impact on subsequent MOM availability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To audit the utilization of donated human milk (DHM) within a specific clinical setting.
• To investigate the influence of initiating enteral feeding with DHM on the subsequent availability of mother's own milk (MOM).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective audit of DHM recipients at Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow (2014-2016).
• Data collected from an electronic database, analyzed using descriptive statistics.
• Kruskal Wallis test and ANOVA used to assess the association between first milk feed type and subsequent MOM availability, adjusting for confounders.

Main Results:

• 165 DHM recipients identified; 69% born <32 weeks gestation.
• Preterm infants were the primary recipients; DHM use adhered to guidelines in 87% of cases.
• Initial feed type (DHM, MOM, or both) did not significantly affect subsequent MOM availability in preterm neonates.

Conclusions:

• DHM is predominantly used for preterm neonates per local guidelines.
• The introduction of DHM as the initial enteral feed does not impede the subsequent availability of mother's own milk.