Not only is human milk food for infants, it’s also medicinal for those who are critically ill. Human breast milk has been widely encouraged for the treatment of infants and babies by such organizations as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, who recommend mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least six months, with continued breastfeeding for at least the first year while foods are being introduced.

Diane L. Spatz, Ph.D., R.N.-B.C., FAAN, nurse researcher and director of the Lactation Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) stresses the importance of human breast milk for critically ill infants.

“The immunological and anti-inflammatory properties of human milk are especially important for the critically ill infants in our intensive care units,” said Spatz in a statement.

CHOP features an innovative lactation service and nurse support for mothers of infants in intensive care units. At CHOP, more than four-fifths of infants who receive human breast milk are discharged from the intensive care unit. Spatz, a well-known lactation expert, leads a Lactation Program at CHOP. The hospital has been using donated human milk since 2006 to provide to critically ill infants as a supplement to a mother’s milk supply if it is lacking, or if the mother is physically unable to provide milk to her child. CHOP has recently announced their initiation of a non-profit milk bank. These findings are the premise of a series of articles that are published throughout World Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 1-7, 2014.