SynthesisMaternal & child nutrition2021
The challenges of medically complex breastfed children and their families: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Maternal & child nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Outcomes Following Neonatal Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association · 2026Pooled it
- Nonpharmacological Interventions on Intramuscular Vaccination Pain among Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials.Journal of caring sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Supporting breastfeeding when clinical nutrition interventions are required in the paediatric healthcare setting: a systematic review.International breastfeeding journal · 2025Pooled it
- The challenges of medically complex breastfed children and their families: A systematic review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Impact of DHA from Algal Oil on the Breast Milk DHA Levels of Lactating Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China.Nutrients · 2022Trial
- Breastfeeding support in Italian Pediatric Intensive Care Units: a nationwide survey on protocols, practices, and challenges.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Review
- Feed Modification for Improved Energy and Protein Provision for Infants and Young Children in the Pediatric Critical Care Setting: A Scoping Review.Nutrition reviews · 2025Article
- "It's Like You're Feeding Your Child Twice": Barriers and Facilitators to Human Milk Feeding Children With Cystic Fibrosis.Pediatric pulmonology · 2025Article
- Challenges and Choices in Breastfeeding Healthy, Sick and Preterm Babies: Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- A Longitudinal Observation of Antenatal Milk Expression in Mothers of Infants with Congenital Anomalies.Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine · 2024Observational
- Effects of breastfeeding in postoperative complication in pediatric population: a systematic review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2024Review
- Article
- Supporting Breastfeeding in Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology Dyads: Clinical Pathway With Illustrative Case Series.The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology · 2023Article
- Using art to raise awareness of breastfed children with medical complexity.International breastfeeding journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and then alongside solid food for the first 2 years and beyond is the gold standard in young child nutrition. There is an abundance of literature relating to the preventative nature of breastmilk and breastfeeding against many infectious diseases and chronic conditions. However, despite medically complex infants and children being a group that could benefit most from continued breastfeeding, breastfeeding duration and exclusivity are lower among more complex paediatric populations. The reasons for this are not well known, and there is a paucity of data relating to supporting infants who have acute or chronic illness, disability or congenital anomaly to breastfeed. This systematic review aimed to understand the challenges of breast/chestfeeding the medically complex child and to establish the gaps in healthcare provision that act as barriers to optimal infant and young child feeding. The search was limited to studies published in English, focused on breastfed sick infants in hospital, with no date limits as there is no previous systematic review. Of 786 papers retrieved, 11 studies were included for review, and seven themes identified. Themes included practical and psychological challenges of continuing to breastfeed in a hospital setting, complications of the condition making breastfeeding difficult, lack of specialist breastfeeding support from hospital staff and a lack of availability of specialist equipment to support complex breastfeeding. The findings affirm the lack of consistent high-quality care for lactation support in paediatric settings and reinforce the need for further focused research in this area.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.