Breastfeeding Medicine

Objectives: To describe the implementation of a successful two-week virtual breastfeeding elective for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic and characterize student demographics, objective knowledge, and perspectives on breastfeeding before and after the elective. Study Design: We adapted the Santa Rosa Kaiser Permanente Family Medicine breastfeeding residency curriculum to create a two-week virtual medical student elective using Kern's six steps of curriculum development and a competency-based education framework...

Introduction: Human milk is the preferred source of enteral nutrition for very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, and it possibly decreases dependence on parenteral nutrition (PN) and reduces incidence of late-onset sepsis (LOS). No systematic review to date has specifically addressed the value of early versus late introduction of human milk diet (HMD) on duration of PN and incidence of LOS among VLBW infants. Objective: To review the evidence for an early versus late introduction of HMD on duration of PN and incidence of LOS in VLBW infants...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Objective: Postpartum mental health, significantly influences breastfeeding. Dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) is defined as negative emotional reaction to milk ejection, such as unpleasant feelings, anger-irritability or a strange feeling in the stomach. This study investigates the impacts of D-MER on mothers experiencing negative emotions during breastfeeding. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted between July 1 and September 30, 2023 among surveyed mothers with babies of ages 0-2 experiencing discomfort while breastfeeding...

Background: Neonatal Intuitive Feeding Technology (NIFTY) cup feeding has been found to be feasible in preterm low-birth-weight babies. However, literature on direct comparison of the same with paladai feeding is lacking. Methods: In this open-labeled, randomized controlled trial, preterm infants (<34 weeks/<1800 g) on full oral gastric tube feeding for at least 3 consecutive days, eligible to be given a trial of suck and swallow cup feeding, prior to initiation of direct breastfeeding, were randomized to the two feeding intervention groups: paladai cup and Nifty cup...

Background: Mother's own milk (MOM) provides health benefits for infants with very low birth weight (VLBW). This study aimed to describe the incidence and factors associated with low volumes of MOM (<50% of total diet volume) at discharge for VLBW infants. Methods: A prospective cohort study of infants with VLBW and gestational age of <30 weeks, who survived to discharge and had no contraindication to MOM. We conducted bivariate analyses to investigate associations with the volume of MOM at discharge, using chi-square, t , and Mann-Whitney tests...

Breastfeeding is a fundamental and biologically normal function with well-established benefits for both lactating parents and infants. Despite these benefits, physicians, particularly those in training, often face significant obstacles when attempting to meet their breastfeeding and pumping goals. In response to these challenges, the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) and a diverse group of health care professionals have come together to advocate for comprehensive lactation support policies in medical learning environments and workplaces...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Background: Ankyloglossia (AG) diagnoses are increasingly common, and management is not standardized. Nonsurgical alternative therapies are frequently recommended in conjunction with or instead of frenotomy, with uncertain evidence. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of nonsurgical alternative therapies (chiropractic care, myofunctional therapy, and osteopathy) in improving breastfeeding for infants diagnosed with AG. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar were searched (September-October 2023)...

Background: Dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) is a phenomenon that occurs before milk letdown and is described as a wave of negative or devastating emotions, ranging from mild to severe and lasting for seconds to minutes. To date, there has been little research regarding this phenomenon. This study aims to determine the prevalence of D-MER in our population as well as its association with postnatal depression scores and breastfeeding self-efficacy. Methods: Lactating persons between 4 and 12 weeks postpartum at our institution were invited to complete an anonymous 59-question survey via an online platform...

Background: Breast milk is the gold standard of infant nutrition, delivering nutrients and bioactive molecules as needed to support optimal infant growth and cognitive development. Increasing evidence links human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) to these early childhood development milestones. Aims: To summarize and synthesize the evidence relating to HMOs and infant brain development, physical growth, and cognitive development. In addition, HMO concentrations in secretor and nonsecretor mothers were compared via a meta-analysis...

Objective: The purpose of this integrative review is to assess the existing evidence regarding the effects of a person's lactation history on later-life development of Alzheimer's disease. Methods: The authors searched the electronic databases PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, and Excerpta Medica dataBASE, and performed backward reference searches using search terms such as, "Alzheimer's disease, dementia," and "breastfeeding, lactation." Authors selected relevant records through the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria and reading the titles, abstracts, or records in full...

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of white noise on anxiety levels and breastfeeding success of primipara mothers having vaginal delivery. Design: The research was conducted using a randomized controlled experimental design. Setting: The research was conducted at a public hospital located in western Turkey. Participants: Sixty primipara mothers, who were between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation, who had a vaginal delivery, and who gave birth to a healthy newborn weighing 2,500-4,000 g, were included in the study as participants...

Objective : Migraine attacks are common in women of reproductive age. Although attacks are often less severe and less frequent during pregnancy, they regularly reoccur shortly after delivery. When first-line analgesic treatment is insufficient, triptans may be used for acute treatment of migraine attacks. Milk levels of occasional triptan use have shown to be low, and no adverse effects in breastfed infants have been reported. However, the available knowledge on the safety of triptans during breastfeeding is still limited...

Purpose: To describe the breastfeeding attitudes and subjective norms of breastfeeding among African American Christians from the New England region. Study Design and Methods: A study was conducted using an online survey. Participants were recruited from four Christian churches in the New England region during the summer of 2021. Responses from direct questions about exclusive breastfeeding histories were tabulated. Open-ended question responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two results were merged to make the conclusions...

Objective: To evaluate the impact of acupuncture as part of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment plan on lactation and maternal well-being in pump-dependent mothers of hospitalized neonates during the first 30 days after delivery. Study Design: This single-center study was conducted in a level IV regional neonatal intensive care unit with access to integrative health services. Sixty-six mothers were prospectively enrolled in two nonparallel groups: (1) Standard lactation support and (2) standard lactation support augmented with acupuncture...

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding a newborn are well documented. Identification of mothers who do not initiate breastfeeding is essential for developing initiatives to improve breastfeeding initiation. Methods: The study used data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) birth certificate data (2014-2021) to identifying 15,599,930 in-hospital deliveries. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between seven body mass index (BMI) categories and initiation of breastfeeding before hospital discharge...

Background: Lactation induction in transgender women is a clinical and research priority in the field of breastfeeding medicine. To date, there are four case reports detailing successful induced lactation in transgender patients who wished to breastfeed. The Academy of Breast Feeding Medicine does not formally recommend a specific medication regimen for transgender patients due to lack of high-quality research. Case Presentation: A 50-year-old transgender woman with a hypercoagulable disorder who was able to lactate and breastfeed with novel hormone regimen management at a gender care clinic...

Introduction: Despite known benefits of breastfeeding, including prevention against infections for infants, in the presence of numerous barriers, less than half of infants in high-income countries breastfeed for 6 months. One potential barrier to breastfeeding is birth by cesarean section (C-Section), which can invoke long-term difficulties. However, our structured literature review found that existing empirical research does not fully elucidate this relationship due to differences in operationalization of C-section and breastfeeding, omission of important confounders, and failure to exclude those who did not initiate breastfeeding (or use time-to-event analyses)...

Background: To investigate the efficacy of aloe gel in reducing pain and promoting wound healing in postpartum women with nipple trauma. Method: There were 80 postpartum women who took part in this study having developed nipple trauma during breastfeeding in the obstetrics department of a tertiary grade A hospital in Suzhou from January to December 2021. Postpartum women with nipple trauma whose hospital bed numbers ranged between 15 and 33 were included in the test group, whereas those whose hospital bed numbers ranged between 35 and 53 were included in the control group...