Benefits of Human Milk
Human milk is one of the most beneficial, and most natural, therapies we can provide preterm infants in the NICU. This presentation includes a discussion of the benefits of human milk, including the differences between mother’s own milk and donor human milk. Benefits of breastfeeding and pumping breast milk for both the mother and preterm infant are presented. Strategies to support mother’s lactation with examples of successful QI implementation are also included.
Objectives:
1. List three benefits of a human milk diet.
2. Discuss two important benefits of Mother's own milk.
3. Identify two strategies to support lactogenesis.
Total CE: 1.7
NCC Code NNP 3 or 7
NCC Code NIC 1 or 7
NCC Code LRN 2 or 7
Rx = 0
*This presentation was included in the Small Baby Care Specialist® Program
Last updated: October, 2021
Your Instructor
Dr. Christine Bixby is board certified in Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. She completed both her Pediatric Residency and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She attended medical school at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Bixby is a practicing Neonatologist in the NICU at CHOC Children’s Hospital. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and the Lactation Medical Director at CHOC Children’s Hospital where she focuses on breastmilk handling and breastfeeding support in the NICU. She is an advocate for breastfeeding in Orange County through the Orange County Perinatal Committee and the Orange County Breastfeeding Coalition. She has published and speaks frequently on best practices in breastmilk handling and optimizing breastmilk production and breastfeeding in the NICU.