Case Report: I feel like a mother to other babies: experiences and perspectives on bereavement and breastmilk donation from Vietnam

Hoang Thi Tran; Tuan Thanh Nguyen; Oanh Thi Xuan Nguyen; Roger Mathisen; Tanya M Cassidy

doi:10.3389/fgwh.2023.1198738

Case Report: I feel like a mother to other babies: experiences and perspectives on bereavement and breastmilk donation from Vietnam

Front Glob Womens Health. 2023 Nov 13:4:1198738. doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2023.1198738. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Hoang Thi Tran^{1

2}, Tuan Thanh Nguyen³, Oanh Thi Xuan Nguyen¹, Roger Mathisen³, Tanya M Cassidy⁴

Affiliations

¹ Neonatal Unit and Human Milk Bank, Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, Da Nang, Vietnam.
² Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Da Nang University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
³ Alive & Thrive, Global Nutrition, FHI 360, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁴ School of Nursing, Psychotherapy, and Community Health (SNPCH), Dublin City University (DCU), Dublin, Ireland.

Abstract

There is a growing recognition globally that care regarding lactation following a perinatal death needs to potentially offer the opportunity for maternal donation. This article discusses this experience and perspectives from a human milk bank (HMB) in Vietnam. This is a descriptive exploratory case study that has a long tradition in both the social and health sciences. Triangulated data collection involved a review of video data, interview data with the donor, and data review for the Da Nang HMB, a Center for Excellence in Breastfeeding. We found that although it is common for mothers in Vietnam to donate breastmilk to HMBs, it is less common for this to occur following perinatal loss. We offer a descriptive case study of the maternal loss of twins and a subsequent choice to donate for approximately 1 month to the Da Nang HMB, the first HMB in Vietnam. We discuss four reasons derived from this case regarding donation following perinatal loss. (1) A strong motivation to donate breastmilk when aware of the service, (2) donating breastmilk helped her deal with grief, (3) family members supported her through this tough time and supported her decision, and (4) health staff supported her decision. While human milk sharing (e.g., wet nursing) has been practiced in Vietnam, breastmilk donation from bereaved mothers has neither been discussed nor well-researched. Because maternal grief is complex and individual, deciding to donate breastmilk is a personal decision that needs to be supported, without creating guilt for those who do not wish to donate.

Keywords: anthropology; bereavement; breastfeeding; child health and nutrition; human milk; human milk banking; neonatal mortality; vulnerable babies.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

This case study was funded by Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Grant Numbers OPP50838 and INV042392), and the Government of Ireland. The views and opinions set out in this article represent those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the funders. Under the grant conditions of the foundation, a creative commons attribution 4.0 generic license has already been assigned to the author-accepted manuscript version that might arise from this submission.