This is why SAHMRI is collaborating with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and Royal Brisbane Women’s and Children’s Hospital to deliver the GIFT trial. The principal investigator of the study, Associate Professor Alice Rumbold, answered a few questions about the study.
What inspired this research?
When babies born preterm are in hospital, they are often fed infant formula when milk from their own mother is unavailable or in short supply. However, formula can sometimes be harder for babies born preterm to digest, causing vomiting and bloating and a problem known as feed intolerance. To avoid this, many hospitals in Australia provide what we call ‘donor milk’ to babies born preterm. At present, this is usually only available to babies born very small or very early (before 32 weeks of pregnancy).
Donor milk is human milk, donated from another breastfeeding mum, that has been pasteurised (heat-treated) to kill any bacteria and viruses that could be present in the milk. This process ensures the milk can be safely given to any baby.
What is the GIFT Trial?
The GIFT Trial is studying whether access to donor milk should be expanded to include babies born just a few weeks early, between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. We intend to find out whether giving donor milk instead of formula, when there is not enough mother’s own milk available, reduces episodes of feed intolerance and helps the babies transition to being fed at the breast. We are also studying whether this reduces the time they need to spend in hospital after birth.
How does it work?
We are collaborating with Lifeblood Milk – an initiative of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood that provides donated breast milk to mothers of vulnerable babies who are unable to produce enough of their own milk for their baby. Lifeblood donors go through a strict screening process, similar to the screening done for blood donors, that includes testing for infectious diseases and questions about the donor’s health and lifestyle.
How do you find participants?
We have a very small window of opportunity to enrol participants in the GIFT Trial. Babies must be born at 32-36 weeks gestation, be less than 4 days old and require more milk than the mother is able to produce. So far, we have found that mothers who are given information during preterm labour or prior to delivery have a higher likelihood of enrolling in the study, so we’re trying our best to get the word out there!
Our health care team is based at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and we have nurses onsite to determine if babies are eligible.
Any new mothers who are interested will only be included in the study if the health care team determines that the baby needs more milk that the mother can provide.
If you would like more information on the study, contact:
