WIP 41 - More Time, More Milk - Wearable, Wireless Breast Pumps to Increase Accessibility of Milk Expression for NICU Mothers

Publication Number: WIP 41.7634

Erica N. Ortiz, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, PFLUGERVILLE, TX, United States; Gabriela Lopez-jaimez, The Breastfeeding Success Company, Austin, TX, United States; Belinda Rico, Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin, Austin, TX, United States; Davika Reid, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, United States; Alan Groves, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, United States

Background: Maternal breast milk provides the best nutrition for premature infants. Time is a significant barrier for NICU mothers to provide sufficient maternal breast milk for their infant. Wearable, wireless pumps (WWPs) may be a novel way to assist NICU mothers to increase pumping sessions, provide sufficient breast milk, and improve infant outcomes.

Objective: To assess if providing a WWP, in addition to having an electric pump at home and access to a hospital grade pump in the NICU, will increase the total number of pumping sessions, minutes spent pumping, and volume of milk per day.

Design/Methods: This is a randomized control-crossover trial in mothers of infants born at < 30 weeks, now > 28 days old, providing maternal breast milk for their infant. Participants are in the study for 15 days and randomized to receive a WWP to use in addition to their current pumps in either the first or second week, with the WWP unavailable for the alternate week. NICU hospital grade pumps and WWPs are fitted by an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and participants have access to IBCLCs during the study. Pumping session frequency, duration, and milk volume are entered by participants into a smartphone app (Baby Tracker). Participants also complete questionnaires and a qualitative interview on their pumping experiences which are analyzed by thematic analysis. Quantitative data is compared by paired t-test. The project has IRB approval and 8 subjects have been enrolled (target n=30). Provisional data from subjects who have completed the study showed no significant differences between the WWP week vs standard of care week for number of pumping sessions (5.15 vs 4.58, p=0.26), number of minutes pumping (126 vs 109, p=0.16), or volume of milk (437 vs 462 ml, p=0.38). Mothers have shown an overall positive response to the WWP, with themes including improved interaction with their infants while pumping, less stress when thinking about pumping, and the ability to more easily complete daily activities. Recruitment and data analysis are expected to be completed by April 2025.