Scientists from two ibs.GRANADA research groups awarded at the 11th National Breastfeeding Congress
Researchers from ibs.GRANADA and the Neonatology Service of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital have been distinguished for two papers at the 11th National Breastfeeding Congress
Two research groups from ibs.GRANADA, professionals from the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, They have received two national awards for two jobs Breastfeeding promotion and research, one of them, professionals from Nursing for the optimal results with a consultancy aimed at mothers with breastfeeding, and another, to neonatologists who have participated in a research study on the presence of contaminants in breast milk.
These distinctions have been awarded at the XI National Congress of Breastfeeding organized by the Initiative for the Humanization of Birth and Breastfeeding Assistance (IHAN- Spain), belonging to Unicef, recently held in Pamplona. The two award-winning ibs.GRANADA research groups are the group Basic and Clinical Oncology and the group Intestinal immunomodulation.
At award-winning work on lactation consulting The results obtained with this innovative service are presented, whereby a nurse is dedicated exclusively to advising mothers who want to offer breastfeeding to their newborns. The demand for information on this type of breastfeeding in a neonatal unit is also analyzed and shows the need for qualified and trained personnel in this area.
This Granada hospital works for more than two decades in the protection and support of breastfeeding, as part of the project for the Humanization of Perinatal Care in Andalusia. To do this, the Neonatology unit has a nurse, a breastfeeding consultant, María Belén Sánchez, who cares for mothers who require specific training and personalized treatment.
This study was carried out in 2020, a year marked by the Covid 19 pandemic, in which this nursing consultant attended a total of 235 newborns and their mothers. They took place 925 counseling interventions in both face-to-face and telephone consultations.
The conclusion of this work determines that the demand for information on breastfeeding in the Neonatology unit it is high and, in the case of premature or sick newborns, its establishment and establishment is difficult, for which more consulting interventions by a qualified professional and with exclusive time for this task are necessary. The authors of this award-winning project are the nurses Mercedes Alonso, Isabel Maria Martínez and Belén Sánchez.
This national congress has also distinguished a research carried out by pediatric neonatologists in collaboration with researchers from the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada ibs.GRANADA, in which a rigorous analysis is made of the presence of a type of contaminant, -perfluoroalkyl substances-, in breast milk and its relationship with lifestyles and eating habits of lactating women.
This study allows develop protocols and advice for lactating women, to help them minimize exposure to these substances, which will improve their health, the quality of breast milk and the exposure to it of breastfed children and recipients of the Milk Bank. This scientific project is led by Manuela Peña, Laura Serrano, Carmen Freire, Luz Iribarne, Francisco Artacho, Nicolás Olea and José Antonio Hurtado.