title: Nutrient enrichment of mother's milk and growth of very preterm infants after hospital discharge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if the addition of a multinutrient human milk fortifier to mother's milk while breastfeeding very preterm infants after hospital discharge is possible and whether it influences first-year growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of a cohort of 320 infants (gestational age: 24-32 weeks; birth weight: 535-2255 g), breastfed infants (65% [n = 207]) were randomly assigned shortly before hospital discharge to receive either unfortified (n = 102, group A) or fortified (n = 105, group B) mother's milk until 4 months' corrected age (CA). The remaining infants were bottle-fed with a preterm formula (group C). Follow-up was performed at term and at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months' CA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean duration of breastfeeding after term was not significantly different between groups A and B (11.8 and 10.6 weeks, respectively). Weight, length, and head circumference were not significantly different between groups A and B at 12 months' CA. Compared with groups A and B, infants in group C had a higher increase in weight z score until term and in length z score until 6 months' CA. At 12 months' CA, boys in group C were significantly longer and heavier compared with those in groups A and B, whereas girls in group C were longer and heavier compared with those in group A only. A higher protein intake was related to a higher serum urea nitrogen level and growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fortification of mother's milk after hospital discharge while breastfeeding very preterm infants was possible without influencing breastfeeding duration but did not significantly influence growth parameters at 1 year of age compared with unfortified mother's milk.
authors.affiliation: Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark. gitte.zachariassen@ouh.regionsyddanmark.dk
authors.forename: Gitte
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zachariassen
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Faerk
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grytter
authors.forename: Birgitte Hass
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Esberg
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hjelmborg
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thybo Christesen
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halken
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005527:Food, Fortified; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors