A prospective clinical study of Primo-Lacto: A closed system for colostrum collection

Abstract

BackgroundColostrum is the first nutritional liquid that comes out of the breast during lactation. Colostrum collection can be challenging due to the small volume produced, and because breast pumps are not designed for colostrum collection. Besides pumping colostrum, the generally accepted practice is to use any available container to hand-express colostrum. Transfer between containers may lead to contamination, higher chance of infection and loss of colostrum. Our aim was to understand if a dedicated colostrum collection system (Primo-Lacto, Maternal Life, LLC, Palo Alto, CA) is more effective than standard hospital practice.MethodsMothers who delivered preterm infants < 34 weeks gestation and mothers with non-latching infants were approached within 24 hours of delivery. Surveys were distributed to participating patients (n = 67), and nurses or lactation consultants (n = 89). Mothers compared ease of use, their confidence level and satisfaction with the amount collected during standard practice vs. the colostrum collection system. Nurses or lactation consultants compared ease of use, differences in colostrum loss and time invested collecting. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and qualitative data were analyzed with grounded theory methods.ResultsFor mothers, ease of use and confidence were significantly better when they used the colostrum collection system than when they used the standard collection procedure, and this difference was true for both hand and pump expression (p<0.01). Nurses and lactation consultants perceived that ease of use was better, and percent of colostrum lost was significantly less with the colostrum collection system for both hand and pump expression. The collection times were not significantly different between the colostrum collection system and standard practice.ConclusionThe colostrum collection system is a tool to help facilitate successful colostrum collection and improve the experience both for clinicians and patients.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Allergic Properties of Colostrum from Mothers of Full-Term and Preterm Babies: The Importance of Maternal Lactation in the First Days

“…The newborn, especially if preterm, has an underdeveloped innate and adaptive immune system with a consequent increase in susceptibility to infection [4,5]. Early breastfeeding provides those immunomodulant compounds which can act as a support at birth for preventing immediate risks of infections and diseases, while driving towards improving the off-spring's immune system and establishing tolerance with a decreasing risk of developing allergic diseases [2][3][4][5][6]. This review highlights how most of the immune components, particularly antiinflammatory and anti-allergic elements, are more represented in colostrum than in transitional/mature milk.…”

“…[20][21][22][23]25,32]. Moreover, new evidence demonstrated that oral colostrum priming improves immune protection and reduces the time to full enteral feeding in preterm infants [5,51,52]. Nevertheless, difficulties in nourishing with colostrum, which has an inverse rate between richness of immune components and volume, are extremely common.…”

“…The immune components are illustrated in Figure 1 This peculiar composition supports both full-term and preterm newborns' physiologically immature immune defenses, inhibiting infection, favoring immediate protection, laying the foundation for long-lasting immunity, and reducing the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases and allergies [1,2]. Noteworthy, in case of premature delivery, the composition of this fluid is even richer in immune components, as an extra protection for critical newborns who are more prone to infectious diseases and negative outcomes [5]. Hence, we aim to describe the colostrum most represented immune components, highlighting differences between full-term and preterm fluid and generally comparing to transitional/mature milk.…”

“…Colostrum is poor in fat and carbohydrates but rich in proteins and with a larger amount of immune compounds than mature milk. Colostrum is a low-volume milk whereby around 2-10 mL of colostrum are expressed per feed [3][4][5]. Despite the small quantity, this first breast fluid is also mechanically advantageous to help the newborn to learn and regulate the suck, swallow, and breathe progression during feeding.…”

Factors Related to Colostrum Feeding of Postpartum Mother at Public Health Center in Kudus

“…There are 184 premature newborn deaths per day, or 8 premature neonatal deaths every hour. (Kristensen-Cabrera et al, 2018) The results of research conducted by Steve Harakah (2020) in Jeddah explained that colostrum is yellow, thick, and sticky. Some mothers still think colostrum is a disease and is not safe for consumption by babies.…”