HUMAN MILK FEEDING OF THE MICROPREMIE

There is increasing evidence that mother's milk is an appropriate feeding even for LBW and VLBW infants. During early neonatal life, supplements in the form of human milk fortifiers or single nutrients may be necessary to maintain an adequate biochemical status especially for sodium, phosphorus, and protein. The ideal amount and balance of supplemental nutrients to add to mother's milk for small premature infants remain unknown. From research to date, it is clear that growth responses to fortified mother's milk fed in early life may not be the most important outcomes in relation to long-term growth and development. Infants who receive human milk in early life may be at reduced risk for developing infections and allergy as well as osteopenia and growth failure. Further studies are needed to provide a better understanding of the role of human milk as the sole source of nutrition in premature infants, especially the micropremie.