Nutrition for Preterm Infants: 75 Years of History.

As technology has advanced, survival rates of preterm infants have improved dramatically. Human milk was the primary source of enteral nutrition during the early days of neonatology, but the HIV/AIDS epidemic resulted in an increased use of preterm formula. More recently, the benefits of human milk were rediscovered, resulting in increased use of donor human milk as well. The awareness that human milk does not contain the amounts of nutrients to meet the high requirements of infants born premature resulted in the development of human milk fortifiers. The development of these fortifiers is still ongoing, as are alternative methods of pasteurization of donor milk. Those initiatives will increase the use of human milk with consequently short- and long-term benefits for preterm infants.

[The Changing Value of Mother's Milk. Feeding Premature and Sick Newborns Since the Late 19th Century]. / Wie wertvoll ist Muttermilch? Die Ernährung Früh- und Neugeborener seit dem ausgehenden 19. Jahrhundert.

In the 1960s/early 70s there was a widespread conviction in West Germany that mother's milk was no longer essential even for premature infants given the availability of improved industrial milk products. But today the superiority of human milk is again undisputed, and progress in neonatology has created a growing target group of extremely premature infants who show clear benefits from being fed with human milk, particularly regarding improved outcomes. Currently there is a revival of donor milk banks (FMB). Globally there are around 500, 15 in Germany. Until the 1960s, mother's milk was the preferred means of German pediatricians to counter infant mortality. During the German Empire and the Weimar Republic doctors widely recommended nursing and engaged wet nurses to meet the demand for human milk and the first donor milk banks were set up; during the Nazi regime there were dozens. The GDR continued using donor milk, while FRG milk banks were shut down in the 70s. The history of milk banks has been shaped not only by science, but also by culture, politics and economics. In the German Empire and the Weimar Republic, social, national and eugenic considerations became intertwined in the struggle against infant mortality. In Nazi Germany human milk was used to strengthen the "German Volksgemeinschaft" ("community of the German people"), particularly individuals who were considered as "erbgesund" ("hereditarily healthy"). Massive advertising of the baby food industry in the West and public debate about pollutants and HIV/AIDS increased doubts about the advantages of natural feeding. In East Germany the planned economy, state health system and censored media significantly contributed to the survival of milk banks.

Human Milk Banking.

Human milk banks play an essential role by providing human milk to infants who would otherwise not be able to receive human milk. The largest group of recipients are premature infants who derive very substantial benefits from it. Human milk protects premature infants from necrotizing enterocolitis and from sepsis, two devastating medical conditions. Milk banks collect, screen, store, process, and distribute human milk. Donating women usually nurse their own infants and have a milk supply that exceeds their own infants' needs. Donor women are carefully selected and are screened for HIV-1, HIV-2, human T-cell leukemia virus 1 and 2, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis. In the milk bank, handling, storing, processing, pooling, and bacterial screening follow standardized algorithms. Heat treatment of human milk diminishes anti-infective properties, cellular components, growth factors, and nutrients. However, the beneficial effects of donor milk remain significant and donor milk is still highly preferable in comparison to formula.

From royal wet nurses to Facebook: The evolution of breastmilk sharing.

Wet-nursing was an essential practice that allowed for infant survival after many mothers died in childbirth. The story of wet-nursing is complicated by both religious pressures and cultural expectations of women. It is likely that these historical practices have shaped our current social, political and legislative environments regarding breastfeeding. The aim of this article is to provide a historical perspective on the practice of wet-nursing, with a focus on: 1) social views of wet nurses, 2) breastmilk evaluation and 3) the ideal wet nurse. Historical perspectives from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, 19th and 20th century America and current practices are examined. An appreciation for the evolution of breastmilk sharing provides clinicians and lactation advocates with the historical origins which provided the template for current practice as it relates to donor milk, breastfeeding culture and relevant legislation.

Human milk banking to 1985.

This paper provides a literature review of the use of donor human milk by hospitals in Australia and elsewhere from the postwar period through to the early 1980s, and establishes the context for a small study of practices which happened in that period. The latter study will be reported elsewhere. The purpose of this paper is to provide a resource for future comparison when the history of the new hospital milk banks of the 21st century is written. Relevant literature in English and two articles in French were accessed.

Human milk banking in the volunteer sector: policy development and actuality in 1970s Australia.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the development of rigorous milk banking policies in the voluntary sector in Australia, 1975-1979, by the non-government organisation, the Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia (now the Australian Breastfeeding Association), and the eventual abandonment of milk banking by the organisation. DESIGN: historical article. SETTING: Australia in the years 1975-1979. CONCLUSIONS: during the period in which the policy development described here took place, conducting a milk bank to the rigorous standards set by the organisation required too heavy an investment of hours by unpaid volunteer coordinators to be sustainable. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: in establishing and continuing a successful milk bank, models which depend less on volunteer hours may be more sustainable.

História e memórias do banco de leite humano do Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (1987-2009) em Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil / History and memories of the human milk bank of the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (1987-2009) in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: to recount the history of the Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP)'s Human Milk Bank (HMB), focusing on its pioneers and the introduction of the service. METHODS: a descriptive transversal study with historical focus based on the methods of oral history. The main materials used were bibliographical sources and direct structured interviews with seven participants. Content analysis revealed two categories: the Creation of the IMIP's Human Milk Bank: its pioneers and their influences; and the Introduction of the Service. RESULTS: the IMIP's HMB, set up in 1987, was the brainchild of Professor Fernando Figueira and Dr. Vilneide Braga and its aim was to meet the needs of the Maternity hospital and its neonatal intensive care unit. The inauguration was attended by politicians, breastfeeding experts, TV celebrities and hospital staff. CONCLUSIONS: the methods of oral history were used to build up a history of the origins and evolution of the IMIP's HMB based on the testimony of the individuals involved. The history of the IMIP's HMB is an ongoing, living process and force that produces change, dreams and hope and keeps alight the ideal of a better world for children, mothers and for society at large.

OBJETIVOS: reconstituir a história do Banco de Leite Humano (BLH) do Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), enfocando os idealizadores e a inauguração do serviço. MÉTODOS: estudo descritivo, transversal com enfoque histórico, orientado pela metodologia da história oral. Privilegiou-se a consulta a fontes bi¬bliográficas e a entrevista direta a sete participantes, com roteiro estruturado. A análise das falas desvelou duas categorias: Criação do banco de leite humano do IMIP: os idealizadores e suas influências; e A inauguração. RESULTADOS: o BLH do IMIP foi criado em 1987, com a idealização e o incentivo do Professor Fernando Figueira e da Dra. Vilneide Braga, e para suprir as necessidades da Maternidade e da unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Da inauguração, participaram autoridades políticas, autoridades em aleitamento materno, celebridades da mídia e profissionais do hospital. CONCLUSÕES: o entrelaçamento entre história e memória, conduzido pelas trilhas da história oral, foi matriz para a construção da origem e evolução do BLH do IMIP, a partir da fala de sujeitos envolvidos nos fatos. A história do BLH do IMIP é um processo inacabado, vivo, é uma força geradora de transformação, sonhos e esperança, que mantém aceso o ideal de um mundo melhor para as crianças, para as mães e para a sociedade.

Bancos de Leite Humano: uma rede de proteção à vida: duas décadas de política pública no Brasil

Em 2005, o Brasil completa 23 anos de Política Pública de Aleitamento Materno e 21 anos de Política Pública em Bancos de Leite Humano. É gratificante perceber que as dificuldades iniciais foram superadas e que o crescente e permanente apoio de gestores, profissionais de saúde, serviços e sociedade civil organizada construíram uma sólida Política Nacional de Aleitamento Materno e uma ótima e bem estruturada Rede de Bancos de Leite Humano. O compromisso com a educação e a busca da excelência e da qualidade são os pilares para essa imensa Rede de Proteção à Vida. Para tanto, juntando sonho com desafio, realizamos o II Congresso Internacional de Bancos de Leite Humano e o IV Congresso Brasileiro de Bancos de Leite Humano e Aleitamento Materno. Nesse contexto, Brasília mais uma vez acolherá todos aqueles que se dispuserem a compartilhar o saber e a participar da iniciativa para a formação da Rede de Bancos de Leite Humano da América Latina e da Rede Latino Americana em Defesa da Amamentação. (AU)

Doctors on Record: Uruguay's Infant Mortality Stagnation and Its Remedies, 1895–1945

Explores Uruguay's infant mortality dynamics during the first half of the twentieth century through the observations, acerbic debates, analyses, policy-making, and administrative perspectives of the country's pediatricians and public health experts. Only after infant health began to be addressed as an integral part of Uruguay's burgeoning welfare state in the 1930s did infant mortality rates start to decline once again. (AU)

Breasts for hire and shared breastfeeding: wet nursing and cross feeding in Australia, 1900-2000.

Wet nursing and cross-nursing both involve the breastfeeding of a baby by someone who is not the baby's mother. They differ in that wet nurses were usually employees in paid situations and the breastfeeding was not reciprocated, whereas cross-nursing was between peers and was usually unpaid and could be reciprocal. In Australia at the turn of the twentieth century wet nurses were employed in private homes or institutions. By the 1920s, finding a wet nurse had become extremely difficult, but informal cross-feeding existed long after this. This study examines both practices in twentieth century Australia, 1900-2000, and includes a discussion of the decline of human milk banks, another means of sharing mothers' milk.

(Re)visitando a inserção da enfermeira no espaço da amamentação: o caso do banco de leite humano do Hospital Universitário Cassiano Antônio de Moraes (1991 - 1997) / (Re)visiting the insertion of the nurse in the breastfeeding environment: the case of banco de leite humano of the University Hospital Cassiano Antonio de Moraes (1991 - 1997)

Estudo histórico-social que tem com objeto os efeitos simbólicos advindos da inserção das enfermeiras nas Ações de Aleitamento Materno do Hospital Universitário Cassiano Antônio de Moraes da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (HUCAM/UFES). O recorte temporal engloba o período de 1991 a 1997. Objetivos: descrever a configuração do campo, em que ocorreram as ações de promoção, proteção e apoio ao Aleitamento Materno; analisar as circunstâncias de inserção e as estratégias de luta das enfermeiras do HUCAM nas ações de Aleitamento Materno, preconizadas pelo Programa Nacional de Incentivo ao Aleitamento Materno (PNIAM) e discutir a eficácia simbólica dessas estratégias de luta para o reconhecimento do capital científico das enfermeiras nas ações de apoio ao aleitamento materno no HUCAM/UFES...

A review of human milk banking and public health policy in Australia.

Breastmilk is the perfect food for human infants. It is markedly different from, and uniquely superior to, artificial baby milk. Human milk banks are services which collect, screen, process and distribute donated breastmilk. Recipients are generally ill and premature infants whose mothers are unable to breastfeed them. This review of human milk banking in Australian public health policy draws from local and international research. This history of human milk banking and contemporary Australian policies, pertaining to breastfeeding and milk banking, are examined. Human milk banking is noted to be largely invisible from national breastfeeding policies. The barriers to establishing human milk banks in the Australian context are explored. Strategies which have helped generate support for human milk banking are discussed. International research has demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of banked donor milk. It is time for human milk banking to become an integral component of Australian breastfeeding policies, viewed as one of several initiatives to protect and support breastfeeding.

History of North American donor milk banking: one hundred years of progress.

Over the past 100 years, North American milk banking has evolved from an idea to a sophisticated process. The early history of establishment of North American banks, including screening processes undertaken, provides the basis for current procedures in modern banks. Increased research and technological improvements have also dramatically changed modern screening procedures. Human milk banks have waxed and waned through the years due to concerns of safety, lack of information, and assertive marketing of infant formula. With increasing awareness of the benefits of human milk and the safety of the optimal product provided through modem milk banks, demand is increasing, leading to greater interest in establishing additional banks.

Excelência em Banco de leite Humano: uma visão do futuro

Traz realização do I Congresso Internacional de Bancos de Leite Humano e do II Congresso Brasileiro de Bancos de Leite Humano, ocorridos em 2000, na cidade de Natal, no Rio Grande do Norte. Esse evento caracterizou-se, no cenário internacional, como momento de afirmação da posição de vanguarda do Brasil na geração de conhecimento na área. Sendo que se trata da primeira iniciativa internacional na área de atuação dos bancos de Leite Humano o que possibilitará uma oportunidade pioneira para permear as experiências

Organización, normas y funciones de un lactario

El lactario en las instituciones de salud es el lugar destinado a actividades realcionadas con la preparación, almacenamiento y distribución de fórmulas lácteas y fórmulas químicamente definidas para nutrición enteral. Supervisado por el departamento de nutrición y dietética del centro hospitalario, debe convertirse en una cadena completa que va desde la prescripción de la fórmula hasta el suministro al paciente

Os bancos de leite humano e o aleitamento no Brasil. [gravação de vídeo] / The human milk banks and the Breastfeeding in Brazil

Histórico da formação e implementação do programa de aleitamento materno brasileiro, feito pela Dra. Marília Monson. Aborda em minúcias os benefícios e os problemas do aleitamento