Sometimes, it’s the tiniest among us who need the most nurturing to GROW.

Optimize growth, minimize complications.

Premature infants have significant nutritional requirements. Increased calories, protein, calcium, and other minerals are vital to their survival, growth, and development. During the last trimester, unborn babies receive vast amounts of nutrition through the umbilical cord. Very premature infants miss this crucial nutrition, and their dietary needs are greater than what breast milk alone can supply. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Committee on Nutrition recommend fortifying mother’s milk or pasteurized donor human milk with protein, minerals, and vitamins to ensure optimal nutrition intake and energy intake for premature infants weighing less than 1500 g and less than 1800 g, respectively.1,8

Exclusive Human Milk Diet (EHMD)

An exclusive human milk diet is achieved when 100% of protein, fat, and carbohydrates are derived from human milk. This diet includes:

An EHMD Supports Adequate Growth

A feeding protocol for infants weighing between 500 and 1250 g that provides an EHMD with early and rapid advancement of fortification is associated with weight gain exceeding targeted standards,* with length and head circumference growth meeting targeted standards, and with a low rate of extrauterine growth restriction.2 (See Figure 1.)

figure-1-growth-velocities-for-infants.jpg
weight-length-outcomes-for-ehmd-infants.jpg

Feed Earlier and Advance Sooner

An EHMD leads to decreased feeding intolerance and shorter time to full feeds.3  (See Figure 2.)
figure-2-days-to-full-feeds

Feeding Intolerance

 figure-3-number-of-feeds-held

 

A single-center retrospective chart review study demonstrated that very low birth weight infants (infants < 28 weeks and/or weighing < 1500 g) on an EHMD were associated with decreased feeding intolerance.  Feeding tolerance was significantly worse in all groups compared with the exclusive human milk group. 94% of preterm infants fed an EHMD never had feeds held compared with 66%, 37%, and 66% for groups bovine, mixed, and formula. The average gestational age in each group was not statistically different except for the exclusively formula fed group, which was statistically more mature.3 (See Figure 3.)

Minimize Complications and Reduce Hospital Costs

An exclusive human milk diet (EHMD), including Prolacta Bioscience’s neonatal nutritional products, has been clinically proven to improve health outcomes4,5,6 and reduce hospital costs3,7  for critically ill, extremely premature infants weighing between 500 and 1250 g at birth*, in the NICU, as compared to cow milk-based fortifier or cow milk-based preterm formula.

.

prolacta-grey-logo


 

    

NOTE: Product used in these studies was named Prolact+ H2MF®. The formulation of Prolact+ H2MF® and HumavantTM HMF is the same. Prolact+ H2MF® is the trade name in North America, and HumavantTM HMF is the trade name outside North America. The products shown is distributed in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

*Outcome measures were statistically based on mean weight data.

References:
  1. Policy Statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics. 2012;7(1):29-37. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-3552.
  2. Hair AB, Hawthorne KM, Chetta KE, Abrams SA. Human milk feeding supports adequate growth in infants ≤ 1250 grams birth weight. BMC Res Notes. 2013;6:459.
  3. Assad M, Elliott MJ, Abraham JH. Decreased cost and improved feeding tolerance in VLBW infants fed an exclusive human milk diet. J Perinatol. 2016;36(3)216-220. doi:10.1038/jp.2015.168.
  4. Sullivan S, Schanler RJ, Kim JH, et al. An exclusively human milk-based diet is associated with a lower rate of necrotizing enterocolitis than a diet of human milk and bovine milk-based products. Pediatrics. 2010;156(4):562-567. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.10.040.
  5. Cristofalo EA, Schanler RJ, Blanco CL, et al. Randomized trial of exclusive human milk versus preterm formula diets in extremely premature infants. Pediatrics. 2013;163(6):1592-1595. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.07.011.
  6. Abrams SA, Schanler RJ, Lee ML, et al. Greater mortality and morbidity in extremely preterm infants fed a diet containing cow milk protein products. Breastfeed Med. 2014;9(6): 281-0285. doi:10.1089/bfm.2014.0024.
  7. Ganapathy V, Hay JW, Kim JH. Costs of necrotizing enterocolitis and cost-effectiveness of exclusively human milk-based products in feeding extremely premature infants. Breastfeed Med. 2012;7(1):29-37. doi:10.1089/bfm.2011.0002.
  8. Agostoni C, Buonocore G, Carnielli VP, et al. Enteral nutrient supply for preterm Infants: commentary from the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2010;50(1):85-91

Find out how your patients can grow with our exclusive human milk diet

Copyright © 2025 Prolacta Bioscience. All Rights Reserved.