Maternal Milk Provision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Mother-Infant Emotional Connection for Preterm Infants.

ABSTRACT: Maternal milk (MM) intake during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization is associated with improved neurodevelopment in preterm infants. Underlying mechanisms may include stronger mother-infant emotional connection. This paper examines associations between MM provision in the NICU with maternal connection to her infant using three factors validated in our sample: maternal sensitivity, emotional concern, and positive interaction/engagement. We studied 70 mothers of infants born <1500 g and/or <32 weeks' gestation. Associations between MM provision and mother-infant connection were modeled using median regression adjusted for clustering. Mothers who provided exclusive MM (i.e., 100% MM, no other milk) reported higher levels of maternal sensitivity by a median score of 2 units (β

SUBMITTER: Viglione C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8870821 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature