Knowledge and perception of mothers toward donor milk and human milk banking: Experience from two centers in Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Breast milk is essential for the optimal growth and development of every child. When the mothers' milk is unavailable, the World Health Organization recommends donated human milk as the best alternative. However, the use of donated human milk has not been introduced in any part of this country. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of mothers on breast milk donation and human milk banking in Nigeria. Methodology: A structured, pretested self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Mothers attending child welfare clinics and the mothers in the newborn unit of two hospitals in Southwest Nigeria were recruited into the study. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 22.0. Result: A total of 402 mothers were included in the study. The mean age was 29.8 ± 5.6 years. Forty-ix percent of the women were aware of human milk banking, and the majority (56.8%) heard about this from a health professional. 39.8% were willing to feed their babies with milk from human milk bank (HMB), and 62.1% were ready to donate their milk. Most of the mothers who were unwilling to feed their babies with milk from HMB reported personal reasons as responsible (40.3%). Factors associated with willingness to feed babies with milk from HMB include occupation (P < 0.001), education (P < 0.001), marital status (P < 0.001), and religion of the mothers (P < 0.005). Conclusion: The knowledge of women in Southwest Nigeria on breast milk donation and HMB is suboptimal. There is a need to educate the populace for effective implementation