Anne,

Thank you for the web site from the Canadian Paediatric Society on "Nutrient
needs and feeding of premature infants."  I found several interesting
statements:  "Few studies have examined the long-term outcomes among infants
fed with different nutrient sources or fed via different routes.  Therefore
estimates of need were based mainly on short-term outcomes."  or the
statement, "There is limited evidence to support nutrient fortification of
preterm-mother's milk."

In Lactation by Neville and Neifert (1983) they mention a "recent"
[1983]study of premature infants fed their own mother's milk and the growth
rate was supposedly comparable to infants fed 24-calorie-per ounce formula,
while premature infants fed mature donor milk grew more slowly. (page 305)
Was this study ever duplicated? This observation might lead one to suspect
that studies on premies who are given donor milk may not be revealing a true
picture of what preterm milk from an infant's mother can do.  Yet many of the
studies on the need of nutrient fortification of preterm infant's are based
on mature donor milk.

Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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