What Are the Advantages of Human Donor Breastmilk?

Discussion Premature infants have unique needs and risks because of their prematurity. Adequate nutrition is one of those problems. In utero the fetus is basically able to “take” everything it needs from the mother already in usable form via the blood stream. In the world, the infant needs to have a neurological and oral-motor apparatus that can coordinate an adequate suck and swallow, and a gastrointestinal tract that is able to absorb the nutrients. The premature infant also needs water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and macro- and micro-nutrients that are appropriate for its gestational age and changing needs. For example, premature infants are notoriously at risk for iron-deficiency because they are not in-utero during the 3rd trimester (or part of it) when iron is preferentially transferred to the infant. Additionally the premature infant often needs blood testing because of their ongoing medical needs, which causes iatrogenic blood loss. Human breastmilk has been found to decrease the risk of otitis media and other upper respiratory tract infections, asthma, atopic dermatitis, gastroenteritis, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, leukemia and sudden infant death syndrome. Exclusive maternal breastmilk is recommended for all infants < 6 months of age in the United States and internationally. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional societies recommend that all premature...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news