Expressed breast milk on a neonatal unit: A hazard analysis and critical control points approach

With the increasing use of human milk and growing evidence of the benefits of mother’s milk for preterm and ill newborns, guidelines to ensure its quality and safety are an important part of daily practice in neonatal intensive care units. Operating procedures based on hazard analysis and critical control points can standardize the handling of mother’s expressed milk, thereby improving nutrition and minimizing the risk of breast milk–induced infection in susceptible newborns. Because breast milk is not sterile, microorganisms can multiply when the milk is not handled properly. Additional exogenous contamination should be prevented. Strict hygiene and careful temperature and time control are important during the expression, collection, transport, storage, and feeding of maternal milk. In contrast to formula milk, no legal standards exist for the use of expressed maternal milk. The need for additional measures, such as bacteriological screening or heat treatment, remains unresolved.