An Examination of the Benefits of Lactation Consultant Services in NICUs for Mothers and Their Newborn: A Systematic Review.

Background: It is well accepted that lactation consultant (LC) services can enhance the breastfeeding success in mother-infant dyads. However, despite such advantages, not all neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) offer LC services. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the available evidence on the effect of LC service on breastfeeding outcomes for mothers whose infants are in the NICU. Methods: The PRISMA Extension for Systematic Reviews were used to conduct this systematic review. The following databases: Embase, Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane library were searched. An initial 464 studies were obtained. Duplicates and studies that did not fit the inclusion criteria were removed, leaving 30 full-text articles to review. Nineteen were further excluded after full-text review. A total of 11 studies were included. Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies, a meta-analysis could not be performed, instead a qualitative numerical summary was conducted. Results: Overall, 10/11 (90%) of studies observed a 6-31% increase in the number of infants who received mother's own milk, and 11-27% in the number of infants who received direct breastfeeds associated with the implementation of LC services in the NICU. The two most common types of LC services studied included: i) multidisciplinary lactation support-described as a team-based approach that includes at least one LC and ii) designation of LC formal role in the NICU. Conclusions: This review highlights that having LC services in the NICU is vital for meeting the unique needs and enhancing breastfeeding outcomes for mothers whose infants are in the NICU.