Generous breastfeeding: an observational retrospective study of milk donor's characteristics in the province of Siena, Italy.

Background: Breastfeeding is definitely one of the measures capable of improving not only children's but also mother's health. Human milk banks are institutions providing human milk to babies with limited access to breastfeeding for various reasons.
Study Design: The aim of this observational retrospective study was to examine principal characteristics of breast milk donors in the province of Siena and to identify variables influencing Milk Quantity (MQ) and Length of donation period (LD).
Methods: Information was extracted from medical records of Human Milk Bank of Siena, all women that donated their breast milk during the period from January 2010 until August 2017 were included. Examined variables were: age, place of birth (Italy/outside Italy), residence (Siena city/Siena province), education, profession, type of labor (preterm/in-term) and type of delivery (vaginal/cesarean section), gestational age, number of children, previous donations (blood, milk), quantity of donated milk and length of donation.
Results: A total of 304 donors were included: 75.7% of Italian nationality. The mean age was 32.4±5.2, Italian donors were older (33.5±5.0 vs. 28.7±4.2; Mann-Whitney; p<0.001). Socio-economic situation of Italian donors was better compared to non-Italian donors (chi-squared; p<0.005). Non-Italian donors had more probability to go through preterm labor (OR=3.68; p<0.001). Average length of donation was 2.7±1.8 months. Mean quantity of donated milk was 4.8±7.6l. From multiple linear regression, preterm birth (p<0.005) and length of donation (p<0.001) emerged as a variable that can predict higher quantity of donated milk.
Conclusions: Preterm babies are usually recovering in a neonatology intensive therapy unit, with mothers staying close to them, which facilitates the whole donation process. Mothers of premature babies have a higher perception of the meaningfulness of donation and a need of adequate nutrition for fragile infants.