Reducing Disparity in Receipt of Mother's Own Milk in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Description

In the US, the burden of very low birth weight (VLBW; \<1500 g) birth is borne disproportionately by black (non-Hispanic black/African American) mothers who are 2.2-2.6 times more likely than nonblack mothers to deliver VLBW infants. This disparity is amplified because black VLBW infants are significantly less likely to receive mother's own milk (MOM) feedings from birth until neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge than nonblack infants, which adds to the lifelong burden of VLBW birth with increased risk of morbidities and greater costs. Pumping is associated with out-of-pocket and opportunity costs that are borne by mothers, unlike donor human milk and formula, which are paid for by NICUs. This innovative trial will determine the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing the disparity in MOM feedings and provide an economic analysis of the interventions, yielding critical data impacting generalizability and likelihood of implementation of results. The investigators hypothesize that mothers who receive intervention will have greater pumping volume and duration and their infants will be more likely to receive MOM at NICU discharge compared to mothers who receive standard of care lactation care and their infants.

Conditions

Pumping, Breast, Milk, Human, Infant, Very Low Birth Weight, Preterm Birth

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

In the US, the burden of very low birth weight (VLBW; \<1500 g) birth is borne disproportionately by black (non-Hispanic black/African American) mothers who are 2.2-2.6 times more likely than nonblack mothers to deliver VLBW infants. This disparity is amplified because black VLBW infants are significantly less likely to receive mother's own milk (MOM) feedings from birth until neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge than nonblack infants, which adds to the lifelong burden of VLBW birth with increased risk of morbidities and greater costs. Pumping is associated with out-of-pocket and opportunity costs that are borne by mothers, unlike donor human milk and formula, which are paid for by NICUs. This innovative trial will determine the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing the disparity in MOM feedings and provide an economic analysis of the interventions, yielding critical data impacting generalizability and likelihood of implementation of results. The investigators hypothesize that mothers who receive intervention will have greater pumping volume and duration and their infants will be more likely to receive MOM at NICU discharge compared to mothers who receive standard of care lactation care and their infants.

Reducing Disparity in Receipt of Mother's Own Milk in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: An Economic Intervention to Improve Adherence to Sustained Maternal Breast Pump Use

Reducing Disparity in Receipt of Mother's Own Milk in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Condition
Pumping, Breast
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Chicago

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * MATERNAL: Delivery, or anticipated delivery, of infant with gestational age \< 32 0/7 weeks at Rush, age ≥18 years, US citizen or legal resident, fluent in English or Spanish
  • * INFANT: Birth gestational age (GA)\< 32 0/7 weeks, no significant congenital anomalies or chromosomal defects, \<144 hours of age at enrollment, multiples may be included
  • * Mothers with health conditions that are incompatible with milk provision per the clinical judgment of the NICU attending caring for the infant, mother is less than 18 years of age, mother has participated in this study with a previous pregnancy, mother is enrolled in another study that impacts lactation, in the neonatologist's opinion the infant is unlikely to survive, or mother is coronavirus (COVID-19) positive and unable to visit the NICU due to quarantine or infection-control requirements during the 144-hour post-delivery randomization window.

Ages Eligible for Study

to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Rush University Medical Center,

Aloka L Patel, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Rush University Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics

Tricia J Johnson, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Rush University Medical Center, Department of Health Systems Management

Study Record Dates

2025-12-31