A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, if she is unable to nurse the child herself sufficiently or chooses not to do so. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some societies, the families are linked by a special relationship of milk kinship. Wet-nursing existed in societies around the world until the invention of reliable formula milk in the 20th century. The practice has made a small comeback in the 21st century.
Witch's milk or neonatal milk is milk secreted from the breasts of some newborn human infants of either sex. Production of neonatal milk by infants usually resolves itself and does not require treatment unless it is caused by an underlying condition or medications. It is thought to be caused by the exposure to an elevated level of estrogen to infants during pregnancy or decreased exposure of estrogen to infants after birth. Its production also may be caused by certain medications. The composition of neonatal milk is similar to maternal milk for most of their components except for fats and one type of antibody.
The Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) is the medical school of Wayne State University, a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It enrolls more than 1,500 students in undergraduate medical education, master's degree, Ph.D., and M.D.-Ph.D. WSUSOM traces its roots through four predecessor institutions since its founding in 1868.
A human milk bank is "a service which collects, screens, processes, and dispenses by prescription human milk donated by nursing mothers who are not biologically related to the recipient infant". As of November 2019, there are 28 milk banks in North America that are members of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). They are usually housed in hospitals, although some are free standing. Members of HMBANA follow the annually revised "Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of a Donor Human Milk Bank" which include protocols for soliciting donors and collecting, processing, and distributing the milk. In addition, some states have required standards for donor human milk banks. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), states that "the FDA has not been involved in establishing these voluntary guidelines or state standards." Some of these protocols are described below.
The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) is a for-profit alliance of hospitals that encompasses over 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. Located in Midtown Detroit, the DMC is affiliated with medical schools from Wayne State University and Michigan State University. Detroit Medical Center hospitals are staffed by physicians from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the largest single-campus medical school in the United States and the nation's fourth largest medical school overall. The Detroit Medical Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Maternal–fetal medicine (MFM), also known as perinatology, is a branch of medicine that focuses on managing health concerns of the mother and fetus prior to, during, and shortly after pregnancy.
Breastfeeding, variously known as chestfeeding or nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby's birth and continue as the baby wants. Health organizations, including the WHO, recommend breastfeeding exclusively for six months. This means that no other foods or drinks, other than vitamin D, are typically given. The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond. Of the 135 million babies born every year, only 42% are breastfed within the first hour of life, only 38% of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months, and 58% of mothers continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years and beyond.
Detroit Receiving Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, is the state's first Level I Trauma Center. Receiving's emergency department treats more than 105,000 patients annually, and nearly 60% of Michigan's emergency physicians are trained at Receiving. Receiving also features the state's largest burn center, Michigan's first hospital-based 24/7 hyperbaric oxygen therapy program, and Metro Detroit's first certified primary stroke center. In addition, the hospital has a comprehensive neurosurgical unit. It is one of the eight hospitals and institutions that comprise the Detroit Medical Center.
Children's Hospital of Michigan (CHM) is a for-profit, pediatric acute care hospital located in Detroit, Michigan. The hospital has 227 beds and is affiliated with both the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Michigan State University Medical School. The hospital provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to pediatric patients aged 0–21 throughout eastern Michigan and the Detroit area and is a part of the Detroit Medical Center. The hospital features the only freestanding pediatric Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in the Detroit region, 1 of 3 in the state. It is an international provider of pediatric neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology, oncology and diagnostic services including Positron Emission Tomography and MRI.
Harper University Hospital is one of eight hospitals and institutes that compose the Detroit Medical Center. Harper offers services in a broad range of clinical areas, including cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery, organ transplant, plastic surgery, general surgery, bariatric endocrinology and sleep disorders.
DMC Surgery Hospital was one of the eight hospitals/Institutions composing the Detroit Medical Center. DMC Surgery Hospital was dedicated to the surgical needs of adults and children. Surgery for adults covered the full range of orthopaedic surgeries, neurosurgery relative to the spine and podiatric surgery. In association with the Children's Hospital of Michigan, surgery for pediatric patients primarily provided services for all outpatient surgical needs. The major emphasis of the facility was a commitment to orthopaedic sports medicine which includes services for both adults and adolescents. The hospital also offered 24-hour emergency care and psychiatric inpatient services.
DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital is one of the eight hospitals that comprise the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). Located in northwest Detroit, Sinai-Grace provides health care services in over forty specialties and has 334 inpatient beds. The hospital has comprehensive cardiovascular, emergency/trauma, cancer, surgical, OBGYN, urological, gastrointestinal, intensive, and geriatrics services.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC), previously Newark Beth Israel Hospital, is a 665-bed quaternary care, teaching hospital located in Newark, New Jersey serving the healthcare needs for Newark and the Northern Jersey area. The hospital is owned by the RWJBarnabas Health System and is the third-largest hospital in the system.
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The process of feeding milk in all female creatures is called nursing, and in humans it is also called breastfeeding. Newborn infants often produce some milk from their own breast tissue, known colloquially as witch's milk.
Charles Howard Wright was a Detroit physician and founder of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
A human milk bank, breast milk bank or lactarium is a service that collects, screens, processes, pasteurizes, and dispenses by prescription human milk donated by nursing mothers who are not biologically related to the recipient infant. The optimum nutrition for newborn infants is breast milk for at least the first 6 months of life. For women who are unable to breast feed or produce enough milk, pasteurized donor breast milk may be an effective approach to feeding. Breast milk supplied by a woman other than the baby's mother that is not pasteurized and informal breast milk sharing is associated with a risk of transmitting bacteria and viruses from the donor mother to the baby and is not considered a safe alternative. If pasteurized donor breast milk is not available, commercial formula is suggested as a second alternative.
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, also known as Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's teaching hospital and entity of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The hospital is affiliated with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics.
Human to animal breastfeeding has been practiced in some different cultures during various time periods. The practice of breastfeeding or suckling between humans and other species occurred in both directions: women sometimes breastfed young animals, and animals were used to suckle babies and children. Animals were used as substitute wet nurses for infants, particularly after the rise of syphilis increased the health risks of wet nursing. Goats and donkeys were widely used to feed abandoned babies in foundling hospitals in 18th- and 19th-century Europe. Breastfeeding animals has also been practised, whether for perceived health reasons – such as to toughen the nipples and improve the flow of milk – or for religious and cultural purposes. A wide variety of animals have been used for this purpose, including puppies, kittens, piglets and monkeys.
Eleonore Hutzel was a nurse and social worker in Detroit, Michigan, who was known for her efforts on behalf of women's health and welfare. The Hutzel Women's Hospital and the Eleonore Hutzel Recovery Center, both in Detroit, are named in her honor. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1999.
Dr. Sarah A. Gertrude Banks was an American physician and suffragist. She was the second woman physician to practice in Detroit, caring for the upper- and lower-class; one of her patients was Clara Bryant Ford. An avid suffragist and friends with Susan B. Anthony, she earned her M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1873, and also became the resident physician of the Women's Hospital and Foundling's Home in Detroit. In addition, Banks co-founded its Free Dispensary for Women and Children, which provided free medical care and improved staff training. She promoted the first free children's playground with sufficient supervision in that same city, and was among the first women to graduate from her university.
