Clinical Characteristics and Breastfeeding Outcomes in Term Dyads Following In-Hospital Supplementation with Pasteurized Donor Human Milk or Formula.

Background: Pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) supplementation for healthy infants is an emerging practice. Little is known about demographics or breastfeeding outcomes for dyads whose mothers choose PDHM versus formula. Research Aims: To identify relationships between in-hospital supplementation choice and (1) dyad characteristics and breastfeeding intent, and (2) breastfeeding outcomes at 1 month. Materials and Methods: This exploratory prospective cohort study surveyed healthy dyads requiring medically indicated supplementation. Participants completed questionnaires including demographics, breastfeeding intent, and self-efficacy during hospitalization, and self-efficacy and lactation outcomes at 1 month. Results: Of 39 participants, 24 (62%) supplemented with formula and 15 (38%) with PDHM. Formula dyads were more likely than PDHM dyads to have a delivery body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 (58% versus 20%, p = 0.02), and less likely to have attained greater than a college degree (33% versus 7%, p = 0.02); formula dyads also reported lower breastfeeding intent scores (12.0 versus 15.5, p = 0.002). Breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were similar but decreased for both groups over 1 month. At 1 month, mothers who chose formula were more likely to continue to provide breast milk to their infants (84% versus 72%). Direct breastfeeding rates were similar (72% versus 68%); of participants directly breastfeeding at 1 month, PDHM dyads were 1.5 times more likely to provide maternal expressed milk. Conclusions: Differences in maternal education, BMI, and breastfeeding intent were found between feeding groups. Results suggest an association between PDHM choice and initial breastfeeding intent and breastfeeding self-efficacy and provision of maternal expressed milk at 1 month.

Human Milk Hormone Intake in the First Month of Life and Physical Growth Outcomes in Preterm Infants.

CONTEXT: Human milk contains hormones that regulate metabolism. Extrauterine growth restriction remains common among preterm infants, but the effect of ingesting milk hormones on preterm infant growth is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To quantify associations of longitudinal exposure to leptin, adiponectin, and insulin in milk with physical growth of preterm infants. DESIGN/METHODS: In 50 preterm neonates (median gestational age 29.4 weeks), we sampled maternal milk on day-of-life 7, 14, 21, and 28 and measured hormone levels in whole milk by ELISA. Milk leptin levels were available for a subset of 18 infants. We calculated milk hormone doses by multiplying the hormone level by the milk volume ingested on each day and estimated the area under the curve (AUC) to reflect longitudinal exposure. We analyzed associations of milk hormone exposure with growth outcomes in generalized estimated equations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight gain velocity and z-scores in weight, length, head circumference, and body mass index at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA). RESULTS: Higher leptin intake was associated with greater weight gain (2.17g/kg/day [95% CI, 1.31, 3.02]) and weight z-score at 36 weeks' PMA (0.30 [0.08, 0.53] higher z-score per tertile). Higher adiponectin intake was associated with greater length z-score (0.41 [0.13, 0.69]), however, this association was nullified after adjustment of protein and calorie intake. Higher adiponectin was associated with smaller head circumference z-score (-0.36 [-0.64, -0.07]). Insulin was not associated with growth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Milk leptin and adiponectin exposures may affect growth of preterm infants. The long-term effects of milk hormones warrant further investigation.

Preterm infant nutrition and growth with a human milk diet.

Human milk is the preferred enteral diet for preterm infants. It provides macronutrients, micronutrients, and bioactive factors that support physical growth and neurodevelopment. Challenges of the human milk diet include the variability in its composition and a need for fortification to mirror placental nutrient delivery and prevent extrauterine growth restriction. Various strategies exist to attain target nutrient provision and optimize growth, including leveraging new technology for point-of-care human milk analysis. When maternal milk is unavailable or in short supply, pasteurized donor human milk is the preferred alternative. Infants fed donor milk may have slower weight gain than those fed exclusively maternal milk or formula, whereas infants fed fortified maternal milk have similar weight gain to preterm formula-fed infants. Future directions include more rigorous characterization of the variation in human milk, further investigation of the clinical benefits of non-nutrient bioactive factors in milk, and novel approaches to optimize fortification.

NICU Diet, Physical Growth and Nutrient Accretion, and Preterm Infant Brain Development.

Half of very preterm infants experience neurodevelopmental impairments after NICU discharge. These adverse outcomes result in part from abnormal brain development and injury that occur during the NICU hospitalization. Although many factors influence infant brain development, nutritional determinants are of particular interest because they are highly modifiable within clinical care. Physical growth of preterm infants in the NICU continues to lag behind the reference fetus, suggesting reduced nutrient accretion during a critical period for brain development. Nutrient accretion is driven by intake of specific nutrients such as macro- and micronutrients as well as non-nutritional factors such as systemic inflammation. Most often, anthropometric indicators, such as weight, length, and head circumference, are used as proxies for nutrient accretion. A limitation of weight is that it does not differentiate the healthy growth of specific organs and tissues from excess fat accumulation. Body length provides information about skeletal growth, and linear growth stunting predicts neurodevelopmental impairment. Head circumference is only a crude proxy for brain size. More recently, application of new technologies such as air displacement plethysmography and magnetic resonance imaging has allowed the direct estimation of lean tissue accretion and brain growth in the NICU. These newer techniques can facilitate research to improve our understanding of the links among the NICU diet, inflammation, physical growth, and brain development. These new measures may also be relevant within clinical care to identify infants who may benefit from specific interventions to enhance nutrient accretion and brain development.