Lactation after infant death: an analysis of Australian healthcare agencies' online health information

Mothers, milk and mourning: The meanings of breast milk after loss of an infant

Breast milk is a highly valued substance, immunologically and nutritionally, which also signifies maternal care and love for the infant. This intersection of biological and cultural qualities confers breast milk with complex meanings, which necessarily shape the experience of breastfeeding. Our research, investigating the experience of lactation after the loss of an infant, casts a novel light on these meanings. This article analyses the experience of 17 Australian bereaved mothers and 114 health professionals charged with their care. We find that while all the mothers found post-loss lactation emotionally painful, many also found redemptive meaning in their milk-production, as a bond with the lost child, as confirmation of their maternal competence and as a life giving substance that they could donate to other needy infants. These complex meanings and positive connotations were at odds with hospital cultures that regard post-loss lactation as valueless and best dealt with through medical suppression, despite the more complex insights of individual health-care professions.

The Voice of Mothers Who Continue to Express Milk After Their Infant's Death for Donation to a Milk Bank

Background: The second stage of lactation with copious milk production occurs after birth regardless of the infant's survival. Previous research indicates that milk donation following a perinatal loss may help some bereaved mothers come to terms with their loss. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of women choosing to continue to express milk after a perinatal loss specifically for donation to a nonprofit milk bank governed by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). Materials and Methods: Participants were recruited through HMBANA's milk bank directors' listserv, their bereavement committee, and through their website. Participants were eligible if they donated to an HMBANA milk bank and specifically continued to pump milk for the purpose of milk donation following a perinatal loss. Qualitative interviews were conducted with each participant using a secured web-based platform. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently using qualitative content analysis until there was acknowledged informational redundancy. Participants' demographic and lactation data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Over 10 months, 21 participants were interviewed. Donating after perinatal loss has been described as a positive, valuable, and nurturing experience. Diminished grieving, enhanced connection to the infant, establishment of legacy, and creation of a positive from a negative are highlighted in several themes that illuminate the phenomena of bereaved donation. Discussion: The findings of this research are consistent with published literature, but in this study, two subgroups were formed. This enabled the researchers to compare the experience of those with previous breastfeeding experience and those without, which adds to the knowledge about the phenomenon. It provides information for health care professionals (HCPs) to understand the experience of bereaved milk donors and serves as a call to action for HCPs to develop best practices and incorporate lactation management in enhanced, individualized bereavement care for these women.

Milk Donation Following A Perinatal Loss: A Phenomenological Study

INTRODUCTION

Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for women with negative consequences for their well-being and mental health. After perinatal loss, some women choose to not suppress lactation and to donate their breast milk. Donating milk can be a grief ritual to cope with the loss. The aim of this study was to explore women's experiences of donating their breast milk following a perinatal loss.

METHODS

A hermeneutic phenomenology was carried out. Thirteen semistructured interviews were conducted. Data was recorded, transcribed, and categorized into themes and subthemes.

RESULTS

Two main themes emerged from the data: (1) lactation after loss: a forgotten aspect of the care, with the subthemes "the silence surrounding grieving lactation" and "experiencing lactation amidst a sea of tears"; and (2) milk donation: a resource to alleviate pain and offer hope, with the subthemes "expressing and donating breast milk: a healing ritual" and "breaking the taboo of the grieving lactation."

DISCUSSION

Information about lactation options is not typically included in participants' care plan. Women's experiences highlight the need for the support of health care professionals. Donating milk helps some women to cope with the loss and accept and integrate it into their daily lives. Milk donation is also an opportunity to educate society about options following a perinatal loss.

Mapping Hospital-Based Lactation Care Provided to Bereaved Mothers: A Basis for Quality Improvement

Objective: The study aimed to identify and map the factors that shape the delivery of hospital-based lactation care for bereaved mothers to inform quality improvement initiatives targeting hospital-based lactation care. Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted at three large hospitals in Australia with 113 health professionals including obstetricians, neonatologists, midwives, neonatal nurses, lactation consultants, social workers or pastoral care workers, Human Milk Bank (HMB) staff, and perinatal bereavement nurses. Thematic and interactional data analysis identified the nature, scope, and pattern of bereavement lactation care. Results: A bereaved lactation care pathway was generated from health professionals' reports. Bereaved lactation care, if provided, was limited to brief encounters aimed at facilitating lactation suppression. The type of lactation care offered, and any exploration of the variable biopsychosocial significance of lactation after infant death, was conditional on (i) availability of health professionals with suitable awareness, knowledge, capacity, confidence, and comfort to discuss lactation; (ii) hospital culture and mode of suppression primarily practiced; (iii) mother's breast milk being visible to hospital staff; (iv) mother expressing interest in expanded lactation management options; (v) availability of, and eligibility to, donate to a HMB; and (vi) support beyond the hospital setting being facilitated. Conclusion: Mothers should be presented with the full array of lactation management options available after stillbirth or infant death. Inclusion of evidence-based, biopsychosocial and patient-centered approaches to lactation care is urgently required in health professionals' bereavement training and in the policies of hospitals and HMBs.