Momentum

Natural way to help premature infants grow

Baylor researchers have found a natural way to supplement premature infants diets. Instead of using oils or infant formula, they found that a cream supplement, a byproduct of pasteurizing donor breast milk, can help these babies grow.

Dr. Amy Hair, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, neonatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and first author of the recent study in The Journal of Pediatrics, said the supplement helps optimize the growth in infants.

“For premature babies who weigh less than about 2 pounds, 2 ounces one of the problems is that their lungs and other organs are still developing when they are born. If the infant gains weight and increases in length at a good rate while in the NICU, this helps improve their outcomes,” she said in a press release.

Watch Dr. Hair explain the supplement and results of their study.

Read more about the research.

Moms with excess breast milk that want to donate? Check out the Texas Children’s milk bank.

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