Breastfeeding very preterm babies in neonatal units
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Supporting breastfeeding and breastmilk feeding of very preterm babies in neonatal units: a qualitative study of mothers’ and health professionals’ experiences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
IRAS ID
294016
Contact name
Fiona Alderdice
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford/ Clinical Trials and Research Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
The aim of this study is to explore mothers’ and health professionals’ views and experiences of receiving and giving support for breastfeeding and breastmilk feeding of very preterm babies (born before 33 completed weeks of pregnancy) in neonatal care in England. We will ask their opinions about what helps breastmilk feeding and what makes it harder, both generally and also specifically in the light of restricted visiting policies introduced on neonatal units as a response to COVID-19.
Breastfeeding protects the health of babies and supports the mother-baby relationship. Very preterm babies are not able to feed directly from the mother’s breast, but they can initially be fed expressed breastmilk by tube. It is often challenging for their mothers to establish and maintain production of breastmilk when they have to express their milk for a long period. Very preterm babies are less likely to receive breastmilk than babies born at later gestational ages, and there are also big differences in breastmilk feeding rates for very preterm babies between neonatal units. These are likely to reflect issues with the way services are organised and delivered, as well as local breastfeeding rates outside the neonatal unit.
We will interview approximately 24 mothers of very preterm babies who have experience of breastmilk feeding in a neonatal unit, and approximately 12 neonatal health professionals. We will invite each person to take part in an interview of about 30 minutes by telephone or videoconference. Mothers and health professionals will mainly be recruited from four neonatal units, two of which have a high rate of breastmilk feeding at discharge and two of which have a low rate. We want to include a diverse group of mothers so if necessary we may also recruit mothers through an invitation shared online by neonatal baby charities.REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EE/0144
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jun 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion