The suitability of expressed breast milk for pre-term infants

SummarySixty-eight pre-term infants were fed either expressed breast milk or a medium-protein unmodified cow's milk formula for the first 2 months of post-natal life. Infants of 28 to 32-weeks' gestation who were fed breast milk showed poorer growth over this period, whereas the growth of the infants of 33 to 36-weeks' gestation was similar in the two feeding groups. Possible reasons for, and implications of this failing of expressed breast milk for very small pre-term infants are discussed.