DUARTE, Calif., Aug. 25, 2017 – Prolacta Bioscience, the nation’s leading provider of human milk-based neonatal nutritional products to hospitals, is celebrating Breastfeeding Awareness Month with a social media campaign to support all the moms who make a commitment to breastfeeding.
Prolacta invites breastfeeding moms and their families to join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in August with the hashtags #BAM2017 and #breastfeedingawarenessmonth. Throughout the month, lactation educators will address some of the most frequently asked questions received by Prolacta, including:
- What are the most-common breastfeeding aids, tools and accessories?
- How do you maintain a good supply?
- What is mastitis, how common is it, and what are the remedies?
- What are some ideas for getting a partner involved in your commitment to breastfeeding?
- What resources are available when flying for nursing moms?
- What are the best practices for providing breast milk for premature infants and breastfeeding preemies?
Of the 4 million annual U.S. births1, approximately 2,000 breastfeeding moms donate their excess breast milk to a Prolacta-affiliated milk bank to help premature infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). When used as part of an exclusive human milk diet (EHMD)2, Prolacta’s neonatal nutritional products are clinically proven to improve health outcomes3,4,5 and reduce hospital costs6,7 for critically ill, extremely premature infants weighing between 500-1,250g (1 lb 1 oz to 2 lbs 12 oz) at birth, in the NICU, as compared to cow milk-based fortifier or cow milk-based preterm formula.
About Prolacta Bioscience
Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. is a privately-held life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk®. The company pioneered the development of human milk-based neonatal nutritional products to meet the needs of critically ill, premature infants in the NICU. Prolacta leads the industry in the quality and safety of nutritional products made from donor breast milk and operates the first and only pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing facility for the processing of human breast milk.
- National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Births and Natality, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm, accessed July 31, 2017.
2. An EHMD is when 100% of the protein, fat and carbohydrates in an infant’s intake are derived solely from human milk.
3. Sullivan S, et al. An Exclusively Human Milk-Based Diet is Associated with a Lower Rate of Necrotizing Enterocolitis than a Diet of Human Milk and Bovine Milk-Based Products. The Journal of Pediatrics. April 2010. 156(4):562-567. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.10.040. The randomized study of 207 infants weighing 500-1,250g compared the benefits of an exclusive human milk diet with a diet of both human milk-based and cow milk-based products.
4. Cristofalo EA, et al. Randomized Trial of Exclusive Human Milk versus Preterm Formula Diets in Extremely Premature Infants. The Journal of Pediatrics. December 2013. 163(6):1592-1595.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.07.011. The multicenter randomized controlled study examined 53 extremely premature infants weighing 500-1250g who were fed either a bovine milk-based preterm formula or an exclusive human milk diet, comparing the duration of parenteral nutrition, growth and morbidity.
5. Abrams SA, et al. Greater Mortality and Morbidity in Extremely Preterm Infants Fed a Diet Containing Cow Milk Protein Products. Breastfeeding Medicine. June 2014. 9(6): 281-0285. doi:10.1089/bfm.2014.0024. This cohort study included 260 extremely preterm infants born weighing less than 1,250g who received a diet that ranged from 100% cow milk to 100% human milk.
6. Ganapathy V, et al. Costs of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Cost-Effectiveness of Exclusively Human Milk-Based Products in Feeding Extremely Premature Infants. Breastfeeding Medicine. February 2012. 7(1):29-37. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2011.0002. This cost-effectiveness analysis of 2,560 extremely premature infants less than 28 weeks gestational age in 257 hospitals nationwide, comparing the impact of an exclusive human milk diet composed of mother’s milk fortified with a human milk-based fortifier versus mother’s milk fortified with cow milk-based fortifier.
7. Assad M, et al. Decreased Cost and Improved Feeding Tolerance in VLBW Infants Fed an Exclusive Human Milk Diet. Journal of Perinatology. March 2016. 36:216-220. doi: 10.1038/jp.2015.168. The study retrospectively looked at 293 preterm infants between gestational ages of 23 to 34 weeks and birth weights between 490-1,700g in the Level III NICU. The study compared the clinical and financial impacts
between infants that were fed an exclusive human milk diet; cow milk-based fortifier and maternal milk; mixed combination of maternal milk, cow milk-based fortifier and cow milk-based formula; and formula between March 2009 and March 2014.
