Women’s Knowledge and Attitudes on Established Breastmilk Bank in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding is recommended as the best practice which results in normal growth and development of the healthy infants.  In cases where the mother is unable to provide adequate breastmilk due to unavoidable circumstances, pasteurised donated breastmilk from the bank should be considered for hospitalized or preterm babies. 
 
 OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe women’s knowledge and attitudes related to established breastmilk bank in Mankweng area. 
 
 METHODS: An explorative descriptive contextual qualitative research was conducted. Data was collected using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews at the rural hospital and a rural clinic in Limpopo province. Purposive sampling method was used to select participants of this study. Adherence to criteria for trustworthiness was aimed at ensuring that the findings become credible, transferable, confirmable and dependable. Ethical standards were adhered to in order to protect identity, dignity, rights and welfare of the study participants. Data was analysed using Tesch’s open coding method.
 
 FINDINGS: Women at the hospital have knowledge related to breastmilk bank whilst the ones at the clinic have insufficient knowledge about breastmilk bank. The participants have shown positive attitudes towards donating breastmilk to the bank, whilst on the other hand negative attitudes towards receiving donated breastmilk from the bank were identified due to fears of contracting infections mainly HIV. 
 
 CONCLUSION: Women at the clinic, have insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes towards the established breastmilk bank. However, they were more willing to donate rather than to accept donated human milk from the bank. On the other hand, women at the hospital are knowledgeable about the breastmilk bank and they revealed positive attitudes towards the established breastmilk bank. It is recommended that the established breastmilk bank should be well promoted and well publicised to the community members in order to utilise the bank effectively and efficiently.

The acceptability of a donor human milk bank and donated human milk among mothers in Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…After it was explained to them, they appreciated the idea and its advantages for babies when their mother's milk is not available. This finding is similar to what has been reported in a study among women in Mankweng hospital in Limpopo Province, South Africa, where mothers who were admitted were the only ones who were aware of the DHMB compared to mothers who were attending antenatal clinics (Mantji et al, 2019 ). This finding was contrary to the study that was conducted in North West Province in South Africa, where participants heard about DHMB from facilities before delivery (Lubbe et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Participants valued donor milk as it assists them in their babies' growth, and they viewed it as a beneficial temporary solution for insufficient milk. This finding was contrary to a study that was conducted in Limpopo Province, South Africa, where mothers had a different view that they were not comfortable accepting donated breast milk for their children (Mantji et al, 2019).…”

Rural Nurses’ Views on Breastmilk Banking in Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Qualitative Study

“…It has been shown to provide health benefits for all new-born infants including ones at high risk or with very low birth weights [ 2 ]. In the absence of the infant’s mother due to maternal illness, death, medication, disability, insufficient milk production, allergies, or prematurity, donated breastmilk from the breastmilk bank can become the ideal option [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…A study conducted in Indonesia indicated low acceptability of DBM among healthcare workers and most mothers due to the fear of transmission of diseases from the donated milk [ 20 ]. In SA (Limpopo, Northwest and Kwazulu Natal provinces), healthcare workers were concerned about the safety of donated milk, particularly regarding HIV transmission and transportation of donated milk from the donor to the bank, which might affect the quality of the milk [ 4 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. These concerns were only reported amongst breastfeeding women receiving healthcare services at Mankweng hospital and clinic [ 4 ].…”

“…In SA (Limpopo, Northwest and Kwazulu Natal provinces), healthcare workers were concerned about the safety of donated milk, particularly regarding HIV transmission and transportation of donated milk from the donor to the bank, which might affect the quality of the milk [ 4 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. These concerns were only reported amongst breastfeeding women receiving healthcare services at Mankweng hospital and clinic [ 4 ]. Mankweng serves as a tertiary referral hospital in the Limpopo province.…”