From Barbara Robertson:
NEC prevention? Nancy and I just returned from the HMBANA Conference in Chicago, where we attended and exhibited. I spent some time with a member of the now well-established NEC Society and was reminded how critical human milk is for our most fragile babies for NEC prevention, so I wanted to share a podcast I did many years ago. Enjoy!
This week on the podcast, Barbara and Barb chat with a very special guest. Jennifer Canvasser, founder of the NEC Society, speaks about the importance of human milk for premature babies and why her mission is so close to her heart.
WHO Feeding Guidelines state that ” Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative – expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank…”
The AAP Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk guidelines also state that premature infants should receive an exclusive human milk diet, as it significantly reduces the risk of NEC.
Exclusive human milk diet reduces the rate of NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) by 80% according to this analysis of research studies.
NEC is costly! According to this study in 2012, “The adjusted incremental costs of medical NEC and surgical NEC over and above the average costs incurred for extremely premature infants without NEC, in 2011 US$, were $74,004 (95% confidence interval, $47,051-$100,957) and $198,040 (95% confidence interval, $159,261-$236,819) per infant, respectively.” See the study for more details.
Please check out HMBANA.ORG (Human Milk Banking Association of North America) and consider donating if you can.
The Baby Friendly NICU initiative is part of Baby Friendly USA. For more information, check out the link!
Here in Michigan, Bronson Hospital has the first Milk Bank and an excellent model for providing human donor milk to fragile infants.
How can you help support the effort to provide human milk for fragile infants?
Visit the NEC Society website and learn more about this wonderful organization.
To learn more about Jennifer Canvasser and her son Micah’s Story, read this wonderful article featured on Huffington Post.
This show is dedicated to all infants who have lost their lives and suffer complications from Necrotizing Enterocolitis. Micah’s legacy lives on.Â
Thank you, Jennifer Canvasser, for sharing these precious photos of Micah before he was diagnosed with NEC.
If you work with breastfeeding/chestfeeding families and are passionate about lactation support, or if you want to turn your passion for nursing into professional practice, visit us and consider following us on social media!
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Have A Wonderful Day!
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