Human milk use in Australian hospitals, 1949-1985.

Abstract

This paper will draw mainly on the experiences of fourteen women to explore the use of expressed human milk by hospitals in Australia from the postwar period through to 1985. The purpose is to provide a snapshot of common practices before the decline of human milk banking and other uses of expressed breastmilk in Australian hospitals, thus providing a source for future comparison against the more rigorous, uniform practices being instituted in the new milk banks of the early-21st century. The ten mothers included were a convenience sample drawn from the author's networks, with recruitment continuing till a range of hospital types and a majority of states were included. Three of the mothers also had experience as trainee midwives and midwives, and four midwives contributed their experiences as staff members, only. The hospitals ranged from large teaching hospitals to small private hospitals and were in metropolitan, regional and country locations. The practices included routine expression and expression for specific purposes, whether for the mother's own baby or to donate. Some hospitals pooled the donor milk for premature or sick babies.