What question did this study set out to answer?

To describe the prevalence of oral care with human milk and estimate its effect on breastfeeding outcomes for infants with critical congenital heart disease.

April 29, 2026Open Access

Oral care with human milk is associated with increased human milk feeding and breastfeeding for newborns with critical congenital heart disease

KEKristin M. ElgersmaUniversity of Minnesota NSNancy L. SlaterMinnesota West Community & Technical College KWKimberly WatkinsChildren’s Minnesota - St. Paul Hospital

Key Points

To describe the prevalence of oral care with human milk and estimate its effect on breastfeeding outcomes for infants with critical congenital heart disease.
Retrospective cohort study of infants with critical congenital heart disease from 2014-2023.
Adjusted regression analyses to estimate effects of early oral care frequency on human milk intake and breastfeeding at discharge.
Participants included 297 infants aged ≤6 months.
Human milk comprised 25.5% of oral care for the infants studied.
Early oral care frequency was associated with an increase in human milk intake by 42.67–57.03 mL/kg/d (p < 0.001 for Q2–4 vs. Q1).
Infants receiving early oral care had 4.7–6.03 greater odds of breastfeeding at discharge (p < 0.01 for Q2–4).

Abstract

Abstract Objective Describe the prevalence of oral care with human milk (OHM) for infants with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) and estimate the effect of early OHM (1st postnatal week) on lactation outcomes. Study design Retrospective cohort including infants with CCHD from 2014–2023. Adjusted regression estimated effects of early OHM frequency (quartiles (Q); Q1 = 0–1 OHM doses, Q2 = 2–6, Q3 = 7–13, Q4 ≥ 14) on human milk intake and breastfeeding (BF) at discharge. Result For 297 infants ≤6 months old, OHM comprised 25.5% of oral care. Early OHM frequency was associated with 42.67–57.03 mL/kg/d higher human milk intake ( p < 0.001 for Q2–4 compared to Q1), and 4.7–6.03 greater odds of BF ( p < 0.01 for Q2–4) at discharge. Conclusion Increased early OHM frequency was strongly associated with lactation outcomes for newborns with CCHD. OHM may support human milk/BF exposure in this vulnerable population.

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