Association between maternal sociodemographic characteristics and exclusive mother's own milk feeding in preterm infants: a cohort study using data from the National Neonatal Research Database.

Summary: Preterm babies rely heavily on their mother's milk to thrive and fight infection. A massive study of over 90,000 premature infants in England and Wales reveals that a family's wealth and location largely determine if a baby receives this vital nutrition. Wealthier mothers were twice as likely to provide breastmilk exclusively compared to those in deprived areas. Conversely, families in poorer neighborhoods or Northern regions were significantly more likely to provide no breastmilk at all. Interestingly, while Asian mothers did less exclusive breastfeeding, minority groups were actually better at ensuring their babies received some breastmilk compared to White mothers. This highlights an urgent need for better support systems for struggling families to close this nutrition gap.