In this episode we talk to Anita Moorhead about all things antenatal hand expression. Anita is a Clinical Nurse/Midwife Consultant (for Lactation), at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, a coordinator for the DAME (Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing) trial and PhD candidate at the Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Australia. Anita has collaborated on breastfeeding papers and reports, hospital, and state clinical guidelines and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. 

We start our conversation with Anita about the Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing trial and what was its purpose and why this was a needed study. Then we delve deeper to ask all those common and not-so-common questions around the topic of antenatal hand expression. So in this episode you'll hear us talking about-
What were the feeding outcomes after women initiated antenatal hand expression in the DAME trial?
Does antenatal hand expression help with future breast milk feeding? 
Could antenatal hand expression cause an increase in the number of babies admitted into the special care nursery after birth?
Does antenatal hand expression cause earlier birth?
What were the average expressed milk volumes achieved by the women during the DAME study?
And we take an important deep dive into the psychological aspects of this practice in relation to the newly published paper looking at the views and experiences of the women in the DAME trial . We spoke about what midwives and birth workers should consider in relation to how women felt about this practice and the milk volumes they were expressing. 

LINKS:

Dr Rachel Reed - Courses- Books 

Anita Moorhead

Advising women with diabetes in pregnancy to express breastmilk in late pregnancy (Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing [DAME]): a multicentre, unblinded, randomised controlled trial

‘Is there any point in me doing this?’ Views and experiences of women in the Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing (DAME) trial

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The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

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