Mother's milk is best (Salt Lake Tribune)

When Ronnie Lynn interviewed me concerning our use of banked, pasteurized human milk for preterm infants, I may not have made it clear that the gold standard and the goal for feeding all infants, particularly "premies," is the mother's own milk (Tribune, Sept. 6).

In our NICU, 94 percent of the mothers do provide some or all of the milk their babies need, and 78 percent are still doing so two weeks after discharge. Pasteurized human milk is our second choice when mothers are unable to provide their own, or have a low supply. A distant third is formula, which we try not to use at all unless it is unavoidable or is parents' choice.


click to read more...