ArticleBMJ open2015
Approaches to supporting lactation and breastfeeding for very preterm infants in the NICU: a qualitative study in three European regions.
Article in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors that influence women's engagement with breastfeeding support: A qualitative evidence synthesis.Maternal & child nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of structured lactation support and human donor milk banking in German NICUs: a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial.BMC medicine · 2026Trial
- Sustaining Breastmilk Expression and Direct Feeding at Breast for Very Low Birth Infants: A Qualitative Exploration of Parental Perspectives.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Parents' Experiences of Feeding Preterm Infants After Hospital Discharge: A Scoping Review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Critical Factors Influencing the Uptake of Breastfeeding Support Interventions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Neonatal Intensive Care Admissions and Outcomes in Malta from 2019 to 2022-A Retrospective Observational Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Postpartum Health in Mothers of Preterm Infants in the NICU: Needs, Service Utilization, and Care Gaps-A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Differences between neonatal units with high and low rates of breast milk feeding for very preterm babies at discharge: a qualitative study of staff experiences.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Monitoring the Use of Human Milk, the Ideal Food for Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants-A Narrative Review.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Time to Reach Full Enteral Feeding and Its Predictors among Very Low Birth Weight Neonates Admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Follow-Up Cohort Study.Journal of nutrition and metabolism · 2024Article
- Article
- Effect of family integrated care on physical growth and language development of premature infants: a retrospective study.Translational pediatrics · 2022Article
- Tube Feeding Practices and Transition to Breastfeeding Experiences of Mothers of Preterm Infants at a Kangaroo Mother Care Unit of a Tertiary Hospital in South Africa.Global pediatric health · 2021Article
- Developing and implementing a health educational package for preemie moms in the care of their baby after hospital discharge.Journal of education and health promotion · 2020Article
- The impact of neonatal unit policies on breast milk feeding at discharge of moderate preterm infants: The EPIPAGE-2 cohort study.Maternal & child nutrition · 2019Article
- Low breastfeeding continuation to 6 months for very preterm infants: A European multiregional cohort study.Maternal & child nutrition · 2019Article
- Room for improvement in breast milk feeding after very preterm birth in Europe: Results from the EPICE cohort.Maternal & child nutrition · 2018Article
- Feeding Practices in Very Preterm and Very Low Birth Weight Infants in an Area Where a Network of Human Milk Banks Is in Place.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2018Article
- Healthcare professional perceptions of family-centred rounds in French NICUs: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2017Article
- Father's role in supporting breastfeeding of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo explore differences in approaches to supporting lactation and breastfeeding for very preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in 3 European regions.
designQualitative cross-sectional study carried out by means of face-to-face semistructured interviews. Verbatim transcripts were coded using a theoretical framework derived from the literature and supplemented by data-driven concepts and codes.
setting4 purposively selected NICUs in each of 3 European regions in 2010 (Ile-de-France in France, Lazio in Italy, and the former Trent region in the UK).
participantsNICU staff members (n=22).
resultsPolicies and practices for managing mother's own milk for very preterm babies differed between regions, and were much more complex in Ile-de-France than in the Trent or Lazio regions. Staff approaches to mothers to initiate lactation differed by region, with an emphasis on the nutritional and immunological value of human milk in the Trent region and on the 'normalising' effect of breastfeeding on the mother-child relationship in Lazio. French and English staff expressed conflicting opinions about the use of bottles, which was routine in Italy. Italian informants stressed the importance of early maternal milk expression and feeding, but also mentioned discharging infants home before feeding at the breast was established. In Ile-de-France and Trent, successful feeding from the breast was achieved before discharge, although this was seen as a factor that could prolong hospitalisation and discourage continued breastfeeding for some women.
conclusionsTargeted health promotion policies in the NICU are necessary to increase the number of infants receiving their mother's milk and to support mothers with transfer of the infant to the breast. Integrating knowledge about the different approaches to lactation and breastfeeding in European NICUs could improve the relevance of recommendations in multiple cultural settings.
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