Pumping Practices and Characteristics of Mothers With Preterm Babies Going to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Introduction: The benefits of mothers own milk on premature and ill infants' nutritional, immunological, and developmental needs have been shown. This article aims to provide insights regarding pumping practices and characteristics of mothers with preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: Data on the milk production of women who gave birth to preterm babies at a tertiary teaching hospital was collected between 2010 and 2013. Mothers logged their pumping sessions, and milk was brought to the NICU in accordance with hospital policies. Results: Eighty-one mothers were enrolled in the study. Thirteen (16%) who did not return any logs were excluded from the data analysis. Of the remaining 68 mothers, 16 (24%) began pumping within 6 hours of the birth, whereas 52 (77%) did not. On Day 1, the average daily volume of breast milk pumped was 6 ml (SD = 10, range 0–63 ml). By Day 5, the average daily volume pumped increased to 285 ml (SD = 221, range 0–823 ml). Conclusion: There is a wide range in milk production for mothers of preterm infants, thus highlighting the need for evidence-based information and continuous encouragement of mothers to provide this valuable resource to the very vulnerable preterm infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]