Breastfeeding News, Publications and Press
Recent news
Breastfeeding researcher shares expertise with Hawaii nursing community
March 2013 — CHOP Lactation Director Diane Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, shared her breastfeeding knowledge and research with the University of Hawaii at Manoa's community of nursing educators and nursing students.
“The lack of exclusive breastfeeding in the U.S. is a public health crisis,” said Spatz, UH Manoa Nursing Frances A. Matsuda Visiting Scholar in Women’s Health.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, yet only 20 percent of infants in Hawaii receive exclusive breast milk during this important time in a child’s life. Exclusive breastfeeding — the infant only receives breast milk without any additional food or drink, not even water — for the first six months of an infant’s life has a long term benefit as it decreases the risk of serious disease such as Type 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, and risk of obesity.
Read more in a press release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The Power of Pumping: video trailer now available
February 2013 — CHOP's Lactation Program released a trailer of its new education video, The Power of Pumping.
“Pumping — expressing milk for the baby — is the one thing that the mom has control over,” says Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, nurse researcher and director of the Lactation Program at CHOP. “Each day that you pump, you are making a new daily dose of vaccine for your baby. That’s powerful.”
VIDEO APPEARS HERE
In the video, moms of patients in the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) relate why they made the decision to pump milk for their medically fragile children.
“Today, I’m so happy to say that Charlotte is an active and beautiful toddler," said Lindsay Groff, Charlotte's mom. "When you meet her you would never, ever know she was sick . Providing breast milk for Charlotte absolutely played a huge role in her healing.”
David A. Munson, MD, medical director of the N/IICU at CHOP, says mom’s milk is the safest milk to provide to sick babies in the N/IICU.
"Whatever proteins and antibodies and white cells and other things that exist in mother’s milk protects the babies from getting infections early in life,” Munson says. “Babies who are fed breast milk just do better.”
The full version of The Power of Pumping, an educational video, will be available for purchase soon. Reserve your copy today.
CHOP lactation expert leads international conference
January 2013 — CHOP Lactation Program Director Diane Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, led the International Conference on Breastfeeding Sick Babies Jan. 22-24 in Bangkok, Thailand. The three-day conference featured seminars on philosophical and practical how-to's about milk management, pumping milk for sick babies, and the use of donor milk, among many other topics.
Spatz's 10 Steps for Breastfeeding Success are being implemented in every NICU in Thailand. She presenting best practices in human milk management for all babies, and led small work groups from each hospital as they decided how to implement the 10 steps and discussed long-term goals for the new program.
Nearly 300 participants from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, Canada and the United Kingdom attended the conference. Spatz is pictured with members of the Thailand Breastfeeding Center and Foundation and international conference participants.
The conference was available for CE credit by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). To learn more, see Breastfeeding Sick Babies conference.
Recent publications
Breastfeeding infants with omphalocele
December 2012 — CHOP Lactation Program Director Diane Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, co-authored an article, "Breastfeeding success in infants with giant omphalocele," that appeared in the December issue of Advances in Neonatal Care. Because infants born with a giant omphalocele often require multiple surgeries that require a lengthy hospital stay, Spatz and her colleague presented evidence that with extensive lactation support mothers can maintain their milk supply and successfully transition to breastfeeding when the infant is healthy enough to do so. For more information, read the journal abstract.
Using donor milk to feed vulnerable infants
October 2012 — Two breastfeeding experts at CHOP co-authored the article, "Making the case for using donor human milk in vulnerable infants," which appeared in the October issue of Advances in Neonatal Care. Diane Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, and Taryn M. Edwards, BSN, RN-BC, detail how vulnerable infants are at increased risk for feeding intolerance because of immaturity or dysfunction of the gastrointestinal system, and how human milk decreases the incidence of feeding intolerance. The authors make the case for establishing a donor milk program within every institution to allow all vulnerable infants to receive a diet of human milk exclusively. Read the abstract.
Recent press coverage
- Breast milk donations a gift of life to preemies (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 18, 2012)
- Some moms who can't nurse bank on breast milk sharing (Courier Post, Aug. 13, 2012)
- Advice for new moms on making breastfeeding work (Parade magazine, Aug. 1, 2012)
- Booby traps series: how to beat the booby traps in the NICU. An interview with Diane Spatz. (Best for Babes, June 7, 2012)
- Breastfeeding's big benefits for at-risk babies (Newswise, April 29, 2011)
- Nursing prof helps launch national breastfeeding ‘Call to Action’ (Penn Current, March 3, 2011)
- Breastfeeding benefits even sickest baby (UPI, Oct. 29, 2010)
Contact us
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a CHOP lactation consultant, call 215-590-4442.
Reviewed by: Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN
Date: February 2013
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