Mothers' Experiences in Milk Management Out of the Hospital: a Qualitative Study

Abstract BackgroundHuman milk(HM) is important for the health and development of preterm infants. China’s neonatal intensive care units have adopted a closed management system of maternal–infant separation. A prerequisite for feeding human milk to preterm infants in hospitals is to have sufficient and safe human milk. Therefore, out-of-hospital human milk management is crucial. Little is known about mothers’ opinions on out-of-hospital human milk management. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Chinese mothers providing their newborns in the neonatal intensive care units with human milk expressed outside of the hospital.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants who transferred their human milk to the hospital human milk bank during the hospitalization of their preterm infants. This study adopted a qualitative research approach with thematic analysis.ResultsThree main themes were identified: 1) human milk management awareness; 2) lack of standardization regarding expressing, storing, and transporting expressed HM; and 3) external support. Theme 2 additionally has three sub-themes: I) differentiation of preparations before human milk expression; II) differentiation of devices for human milk expression; and III) insufficient knowledge and understanding.ConclusionsIn this study, all participants who received health education showed enthusiasm for participating in out-of-hospital human milk management. However, most participants had questions during the implementation process. Medical staff should provide professional and continuous external support to support mothers in implementing HM management.