The Incubator #231 - 🌍 Closing the Gap: Improving access to human milk in LMICs (ft Dr. Emily Njuguna and Kimberly Mansen)
In this episode of the Global Neonatal Podcast, the hosts interview Dr. Emily Njuguna and Kimberly Mansen MSPH RDN from PATH to discuss the importance of human milk in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the strategies used to support lactation. The guests highlight the challenges faced by mothers in LMICs and emphasize the importance of early lactation support for mothers of the most vulnerable newborns. Emily and Kimberly discuss the three-pronged approach of kangaroo mother care, lactation support, and human milk banks in providing human milk for babies in LMICs. They also shared examples of successful initiatives, such as the establishment of a human milk bank in Kenya, and discussed plans for scaling up these programs in other countries.
Resources mentioned in episode:
PATH Newborn Nutrition page: https://www.path.org/who-we-are/programs/maternal-newborn-child-health-and-nutrition/newborn-nutrition/
Article on potential effectiveness of human milk banking and lactation support on neonatal outcomes at the Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Kenya
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10750015/
Contact:
Kimberly Mansen https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-mansen/
Emily Njuguna MD https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-m-njuguna-062b7724/?originalSubdomain=ke
Episode Webpage Link: https://www.the-incubator.org/post/213-closing-the-gap-improving-access-to-human-milk-in-lmics
As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.
Enjoy!