August is National Breastfeeding Month: @UCSDHealth Experts on Health Benefits and Latest in COVID-19 Research

August is National Breastfeeding Month, intended to raise awareness of the health benefits that breast milk provides, including:

• Reduction in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Fewer infections: ear, respiratory, diarrhea, bladder, meningitis
• Decrease in childhood obesity
• Reduction in diabetes, celiac disease, certain types of childhood cancer
• Reduction of metabolic, cardiovascular disease and cancer in mothers

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding after birth and continuing through the first year of life.

“We have seen an increase in breastfeeding numbers during the pandemic with everyone spending much more time at home,” said Lisa Stellwagen, MD, pediatrician at UC San Diego Health. “Mothers’ milk is so important for babies, but premature and sick babies may benefit even more.”

UC San Diego Health is a Baby-Friendly Hospital. The designation, sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund, recognizes hospitals that promote breastfeeding. UC San Diego Health provides education to enable families to make informed decisions and offers services, such as lactation support, throughout and beyond the hospital stay. Efforts like skin-to-skin, support groups and pump rentals increase breastfeeding success rates.

Opened in 2020, the University of California Health Milk Bank, the first milk bank located in San Diego, is the only Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)-accredited milk bank in Southern California. Operated by UC San Diego Health and located in the San Diego Blood Bank, the facility provides donated milk to parents in need, giving them a critical resource for the growth and development of their infants.

“We want to make sure every parent understands the benefits of breast milk and how they can get access to it if needed,” said Stellwagen, executive director of the University of California Health Milk Bank.

Breast Milk and COVID-19 Research

During the early days of the global pandemic, researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine published data suggesting human milk is safe and not a route for COVID-19 transmission from mother to baby. Researchers are now investigating if breast milk protects infants from getting COVID-19 and how COVID-19 vaccines may not only benefit breastfeeding mothers, but also their breastfed infants.

“Safety must always come first,” says Lars Bode, PhD, professor of pediatrics, chair of Collaborative Human Milk Research and founding director of MOMI CORE, the Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Now that we have confirmed that human milk is indeed safe, we can shift our focus to the many components in human milk that may protect the breastfed infant from COVID-19 and potentially even leverage that knowledge to develop new antiviral treatments for people of all ages.”

Experts available for Zoom interviews:

• Lisa Stellwagen, MD, pediatrician, UC San Diego Health — can discuss overall health benefits of breastfeeding, milk donation and current American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines
• Michelle Leff, MD, pediatrician, UC San Diego Health — can discuss breastfeeding and common issues
• Christina Chambers, MD, UC San Diego School of Medicine — can discuss current studies looking at links between pregnancy and COVID-19
• Lars Bode, PhD, UC San Diego School of Medicine — can discuss beneficial components in human milk in general, as well as current studies looking at links between breastfeeding and COVID-19