A Review of the Literature Examining the Benefits and Challenges, Incidence and Duration, and Barriers to Breastfeeding in Preterm Infants

Authors and Disclosures

Jennifer Callen, RNC, MSC,¹ and Janet Pinelli, RNC, MSCN, DNS<sup>1,2

1</sup>Faculty of Nursing, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
²Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Disclosure: No conflicts of interest disclosed. The information, content, or conclusions expressed in this article reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions or policies of their affiliated institutions.

Sidebar: New Breastfeeding Resources for the Healthcare Professional

Questions about breastfeeding arise daily in neonatal care. Can the hepatitis-C positive woman breastfeed? Should breastfeeding be interrupted to treat neonatal jaundice? Are pacifiers really harmful to breastfeeding?

A new policy statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics "Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk"; answers these and many other questions; it is a tremendous resource for neonatal healthcare professionals.^[1] The new guidelines reflect new research on the importance of breastfeeding and summarize research to support recommendations regarding breastfeeding of both healthy term and high-risk infants.

The new policy statement clarifies which situations are true contraindications to breastfeeding and which are not, according to the most recent evidence. Hospital and outpatient setting practices that present obstacles to breastfeeding are reviewed. The role of pediatricians and other healthcare professionals in protecting, supporting, and promoting breastfeeding is described. Also included are a formal evaluation of breastfeeding and follow-up for the breastfeeding dyad.

When breastfeeding problems arise, a lactation consult is indicated, if possible, to address them. In "The Lactation Consult: Problem Solving, Teaching, and Support for the Breastfeeding Family,"; certified lactation consultant Maureen Hoag Dann provides a step-by-step tool guide for lactation consultation that is a useful tool for anyone working with the breastfeeding mother and newborn. Helping the mother and newborn achieve a good latch is explained in words and pictures. The article also describes how to identify early predictors of breastfeeding problems and which mothers will benefit from a lactation consult.^[2]

1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics. 2005;115:496-506. Available at https://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;115/2/496.pdf. Accessed February 15, 2005.

2. Dann MH. The lactation consult: problem solving, teaching, and support for the breastfeeding family. J Pe-diatr Health Care. 2005;19:12-16. Available at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/498609_6 . Accessed February 15, 2005.