Presentation Information

Human Milk Fortification: Meeting the Unique Growth Needs of Preterm Infants

• Speaker: Mark Johnson , PhD, BM, BSc, FRCPCH
• Presentation Type:
• Duration: 60 Mins
• Credits: 1 CERP, 1 Nursing CEU, 1 CME, 0.1 Midwifery CEU

Abstract:

Currently, one of the goals of preterm infant nutritional care is to try and achieve rates of growth and patterns of body composition similar to those seen in utero at the equivalent gestation. This is challenging as it requires much higher amounts of nutrition, than that required by term infants, which can be hard to deliver to preterm infants in neonatal intensive care. Breast milk is the best milk for preterm infants, with advantages including reduced risk of necrotising enterocolitis and improved microbiome.
However, it does not contain sufficient amounts of key nutrients, including energy, protein, and electrolytes, to meet the needs of preterm infants. Breast milk fortifier is therefore added to improve its nutrient content. This talk will look at current growth targets for preterm infants, their nutritional requirements, and how to achieve these using breast milk in conjunction with fortifier.
It will look at the current evidence for fortifier use, concerns around its use, and the timing of administration. Different approaches to fortification will also be discussed, including adjusted and targeted fortification, the use of fortifiers beyond hospital discharge, and the use of fortifiers made from human milk rather than cow’s milk.