November is World Prematurity Month with November 17 being recognized as World Prematurity Day. Purple is for preemies this month! Research has long shown the importance of breastmilk for preterm infants, with the IBCLC® being instrumental in providing the clinical lactation care so necessary to parents for providing this life sustaining food and medicine. Many of you are aware of the thousands of lawsuits filed against formula manufacturers regarding preterm infants who have been sickened or died from NEC after being given preterm formula in the NICU. Verdicts in some cases have awarded parents hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, potentially affecting the availability of the preterm formula supply. It becomes even more important that we assure that NICUs are appropriated staffed with IBCLCs®, that parents are provided with the information and personalized care they require under such difficult circumstances, that the entire NICU staff consistently support breastfeeding and expressing efforts, that pasteurized banked donor human milk is available, and that staff remain non-judgemental. One study stated that parents wanted a standardized pack of information to refer to along with proactive personalized support (1). IBCLCs® can do all of this!

(1) McLeish, J., Aloysius, A., Gale, C. et al. (2024). What supports mothers of very preterm babies to start and continue breast milk feeding neonatal units? A qualitative COM-B analysis of mothers’ experiences. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 24, 725.