Intense Lactation Specialist and Peer Support as Strategies to Improve Availability of Mother’s Own Milk for Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Infants - Abstract
Background: Despite being highly desirable, there is limited success discharging very low birth weight infants (VLBW) on mother’s own milk.
Research aim: To explore interventions to improve lactation success based upon recommendations of lactating mothers of VLBW infants.
Methods: Prospective, two-phase project in an inner city, level IV NICU. Mothers of inborn VLBW who agreed to express breast milk and met eligibility criteria were followed from infants’ birth to discharge. The first cohort receiving STANDARD breastfeeding support (n=50) was compared to a subsequent cohort receiving INTERVENTION (phone calls and peer group support sessions, n=50).
Results: Overall, lactation success at infant’s discharge changed from 56% (STANDARD cohort, n=28) to 70% (INTERVENTION cohort n= 35); p=0.15. Lactation was significantly higher among mothers who were fully compliant to the intervention (INT COMPLIANT) as compared to the STANDARD cohort (n=20 of 24 vs. 28 of 50; p=0.003). In the STANDARD cohort, lactation success was significantly higher among mothers with higher than high school education as compared to mothers with lower or equal than high school education (n= 16 of 21, vs. n= 12 of 29; p=0.014). With intense intervention, rates of lactation among less educated mothers improved, attenuating the difference (n=20 of 24, vs. n=14 of 25; p=0.06).
Conclusion: For an ethnically diverse group of minority women, actually receiving intensified lactation specialists contact and peer support, the rates of lactation success at their VLBW infant’s discharge improved. The positive effect impacted lactation among mothers with lower educational attainment.