Initiating and maintaining breastfeeding is especially challenging for mothers of preterm infants, as their babies are born before their due date and remain in neonatal intensive care units for months. Our research concentrates on ways of assisting mothers and babies to establish and maintain breastfeeding. When the mother’s supply is low, our breast milk bank provides pasteurised donor human milk to avoid introducing infant formula and the risks associated with feeding formula to preterm infants. The processing and storage of donor milk to maintain bioactivity of breastmilk is a major area of our research.
Moon K, et al. Longchain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in preterm infants. Cochrane Database Stys Rev 2016 – Review. Among authors: Patole SK. PMID 27995607Free PMC article.
Perrella SL, et al. Validation of ultrasound methods to monitor gastric volume changes in preterm infants. J Pediatri Gastroenterol Nutr 2013. Among authors: Simmer KN. PMID 23969536
Hartmann BT. Ensuring safety in donor human milk banking in Neonatal Intensive Care. Clin Perinatol 2017 – Review. PMID 28159201
Hartmann BT. Benefit by design: Determining the ‘value’ of donor human milk and medical products derived from human milk in the NICU. Semin Perinatol 2019 – Review. PMID 31383367
Landers S and Hartmann BT. Donor human milk banking and the emergence of milk sharing. Pediatr Clin North Am 2013 – Review. PMID 23178068
Lloyd ML, Malacova E, Hartmann B, Simmer K. A clinical audit of the growth of preterm infants fed predominantly pasteurized donor human milk v. those fed mother’s own milk in the neonatal intensive care unit. Br J Nutr. 2019 Apr 5.
Woodman T, Strunk T, Patole S, Hartmann B, Simmer K, Currie A. Effects of lactoferrin on neonatal pathogens and Bifidobacterium breve in human breast milk. PLoS One. 2018 Aug 22
Geddes D, Kok C, Nancarrow K, Hepworth A, Simmer K. Preterm Infant Feeding: A Mechanistic Comparison between a Vacuum Triggered Novel Teat and Breastfeeding. Nutrients 2018 Mar 19.
Geddes DT, Chooi K, Nancarrow K, Hepworth AR, Gardner H, Simmer K. Characterisation of sucking dynamics of breastfeeding preterm infants: a cross sectional study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017 Nov 17;17(1):386.
Lloyd ML, Hod N, Jayaraman J, Marchant EA, Christen L, Chiang P, Hartmann P, Shellam GR, Simmer K. Inactivation of Cytomegalovirus in Breast Milk Using Ultraviolet-C Irradiation: Opportunities for a New Treatment Option in Breast Milk Banking. PLoS One. 2016 Aug 18;11(8):e0161116.
McLeod G, Sherriff J, Hartmann P, Nathan L, Geddes D, Simmer K. Comparing different methods of human milk fortification using measured versus assumed macronutrient composition: a pilot RCT. Br J Nutr. 2016 Feb14;115(3):431-9.
Sharp M, Campbell C, Chiffings D, Simmer K, French N. Improvement in long-term breastfeeding for very preterm infants. Breastfeed Med. 2015 Apr;10(3):145-9.
Lai CT, Rea A, Mitoulas LR, Kent JC, Simmer K, Hartmann PE, Geddes D. Short-term rate of milk synthesis and expression interval of preterm mothers. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2019
Perella SL, Nancarrow K, Trevenen M, Murray K, Geddes DT, Simmer KN. Effect of vacuum-release teat v standard teat on feeding milestones and breastfeeding outcomes in very preterm infants: RCT. PLoSOne 2019. Bottle-feeding is inevitable in busy large NICU while promoting breastfeeding. Our innovative teat design proved effecting at training for breastfeeding when mother not available.
McLeod G, Sherriff J, Hartmann PE, Nathan E, Geddes D, Simmer K. Comparing different methods of human breastmilk fortification using measured v assumed macronutrient composition to target reference growth: RCT. Br J Nut 2016. Infants grow less well with targeted individualised fortification compared with standard care thus avoiding an inefficient practice in the NICU.