Breastfeeding the premature infant: experience of a baby-friendly hospital in Brazil.

Breastfeeding is the natural way of feeding infants, providing nutritional, immunological, psychological, and economic advantages. These qualities are especially important in premature neonates because of their vulnerability. Nevertheless, a lower incidence of successful breastfeeding has been observed in this population. This prospective study investigated the frequency of mother's milk use on discharge of premature neonates from an at-risk neonatal unit. It involved 244 premature neonates and took place at a Brazilian Baby-Friendly Hospital. The observed frequency of mother's milk use at neonatal unit discharge was 94.6%. The finding that most premature neonates were receiving mother's milk reflects a well-structured program for promoting breastfeeding of premature neonates at this institution, which relies on an interdisciplinary team to provide adequate support to the mothers.