Feeding futures: Feasibility trial for using defatted human milk at home

Human milk is the best food for babies in the first 6 months of life. Certain medical conditions can stop families from using human milk for a period of time, a devastating event for many parents. Chylothorax is a post-operative complication from open-heart surgery where long-chain fats accumulate in the chest. The first line treatment is to remove long-chain fats from the diet to allow the body to heal for a period of up to 6 weeks. This therapy currently involves stopping all human milk and switching to a low-fat medical formula in BC. However, our team has created a method to defat human milk in a home setting without specialized equipment. Our study is looking at the safety and ease of using this home-based method with families and children that develop chylothorax. Using defatted human milk protect the benefits a baby receives from human milk and will preserve the family role in feeding.