Breast Milk for Term and Preterm Infants—Own Mother’s Milk or Donor Milk?

Abstract

Hormones are important biological regulators, controlling development and physiological processes throughout life. We investigated pituitary hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL) and total protein levels during the first 6 months of lactation. Breast milk samples were collected every fourth week of lactation from mothers who gave birth to preterm (n = 14) or term (n = 16) infants. Donor milk is suggested when own mother’s milk is not available; therefore, we collected breast milk samples before and after Holder pasteurization (HoP) from the Breast Milk Collection Center of Pécs, Hungary. Three infant formulas prepared in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Pécs were tested at three different time points. Our aim was to examine the hormone content of own mother’s milk and donor milk. There were no significant changes over time in the concentrations of any hormone. Preterm milk had higher PRL (28.2 ± 2.5 vs. 19.3 ± 2.3 ng/mL) and LH (36.3 ± 8.8 vs. 15.9 ± 4.1 mIU/L) concentrations than term milk during the first 6 months of lactation. Total protein and FSH concentrations did not differ between preterm and term breast milk. Holder pasteurization decreased the PRL concentration (30.4 ± 1.8 vs. 14.4 ± 0.6 ng/mL) and did not affect gonadotropin levels of donor milk. Infant formulas have higher total protein content than breast milk but do not contain detectable levels of pituitary hormones. Differences were detected in the content of pituitary hormones produced for preterm and term infants. Divergence between feeding options offers opportunities for improvement of nutritional guidelines for both hospital and home feeding practices.

Fatty Acid Composition of Milk from Mothers with Normal Weight, Obesity, or Gestational Diabetes

“…The study participants were asked to collect samples exclusively between 7 am and 11 am, a time period when breast milk has an average composition [ 2 , 3 , 4 ] three hours after they had emptied the same breast during the previous expression or three hours after the previous session of breastfeeding. For sample collection, the mothers were asked to completely empty the breast using a mechanical milk pump (Philips Avent, Farnborough, UK) into disposable sterile polypropylene tubes.…”

“…Human milk is an optimal source of nutrients for infants, as it contains essential nutrients, bioactive compounds, and immunological factors necessary for growth and development [ 1 ]. Milk contains irreplaceable compounds that are needed for ideal postnatal development, unlike most infant formulas, which lack bioactive factors [ 2 , 3 , 4 ].…”

Maternal Diet Influences Human Milk Protein Concentration and Adipose Tissue Marker

“…Additionally, the administration of bovine protein products is proposed to increase the osmolarity of human milk, which is associated with an increased NEC incidence [ 52 ]. Additionally, fortifiers—as well as preterm infant formulas—do not contain any biologically active substances; therefore, the best choice is to use the mothers’ own milk, or donor milk provided from single preterm lactating mothers [ 52 , 53 ].…”

Preterm birth and human milk proteome: are we ready for individualized fortification?

“…The human milk composition of mothers who gave birth to preterm infants differed from that of mothers who delivered term infants [25]. Early preterm milk was found to be naturally enriched for protein, with several studies suggesting that protein content may be as high as 4.1 AE 2.1 g/100 ml [26].…”