Comparing Direct Breastfeeding and Expressed Human Milk Feeding in Infants Studying Milk Patterns, Infant Sleep, and Microbiome in First Month

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying human milk as a complex system to understand how it changes over time and throughout the day, how these changes relate to infant sleep and microbiome patterns, and how feeding method direct breastfeeding versus expressed milk affects these relationships. This observational study aims to fill important knowledge gaps to better support families feeding pumped breast milk and improve infant feeding and health outcomes. The study compares two groups of mothers and infants those primarily feeding directly at-the-breast and those primarily feeding expressed human milk. Researchers will collect data over time to model milk dynamics and their links to infant sleep and microbiome. The study focuses on lactating mothers aged 20 to 40 with healthy, full-term singleton infants aged 0 to 1 month at enrollment. Participants will be followed to assess infant sleep latency at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months. The study includes collecting information on feeding patterns, infant sleep, and microbiome dynamics. This will help understand how milk and infant factors interact over time. The total participation duration varies, with ongoing monitoring to capture these dynamic relationships in infant nutrition.

At-the-Breast vs. Expressed Human Milk: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN)