Table 2 Breastfeeding Support for hospitalized sick children in 161 Italian PUs
From: Breastfeeding support among re-hospitalized young children: a survey from Italy
Availability of ad hoc protocol on the maintenance of breastfeeding and the use of mother’s milk, in case of hospitalization of a child younger than 2 years | N | Percentage |
-Yes | 87 | 54.1% |
-No | 44 | 27.3% |
- No, we do not need it | 10 | 6.2% |
- No, but we plan to develop one | 20 | 12.4% |
Availability of an ad hoc protocol on the maintenance of breastfeeding and the use of mother’s milk endorsed by Hospital Director | N | Percentage |
- Yes | 48/92 | 52.2% |
- No | 44/92 | 47.8% |
Availability of breast milk pumps in the PU | N | Percentage |
- Yes | 142 | 88.2% |
-No | 8 | 5% |
- No, we invite mothers to carry their own from home | 4 | 2.5% |
- No, we invite mothers to go to the Neonatal Unit to pump off | 7 | 4.3% |
Type of pumps available in the PU | N | Percentage |
- Electric pumps - Manual pumps | 123/143 45/122 | 86.0% 36.9% |
Bottles for collecting and administrating expressed breast milk | N | Percentage |
- Are provided by the hospital | 151 | 93.8% |
- Mothers carry bottles from home | 10 | 6.2% |
Place where mothers pump off their breast-milk | N | Percentage |
- In a dedicated area of the PU | 38 | 23.6% |
- Besides child’s bed | 112 | 69.6% |
- In the Neonatal Unit | 11 | 6.8% |
Availability of a protocol on the storage of expressed breast milk | N | Percentage |
- Yes | 105 | 65.2% |
- No | 56 | 34.8% |
Storage of the expressed mother’s milk | N | Percentage |
- In the shared fridge of the PU | 53 | 32.9% |
- In a dedicated fridge of the PU | 106 | 65.8% |
- In a cooler managed by the mothers | 2 | 1.3% |
Attendance of the PU staff to a credited training course on breastfeeding | N | Percentage |
- Yes, only nurses - Yes, only physicians | 15 0 | 9.3% 0.0% |
- Yes, both nurses and physicians | 116 | 72.0% |
- No | 30 | 18.7% |
Reasons for not attending a training course on breastfeeding (more than one answer possible) | N | Percentage |
- Limited interest/other priorities | 14/31 | 45.1% |
- Lack of hospital/PU policy | 12/31 | 38.8% |
- Lack of time | 7/31 | 22.6% |
- Concurrent organizational problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic | 2/31 | 6.4% |