Background: Donor breast milk (DBM) feeding has been associated with less growth than formula in preterm infants. Zinc content in DBM is insufficient to support growth in preterm infants.
Objective: To compare growth from birth to discharge, macro- and micronutrient intake and the frequency of poor growth before (Epoch-1) and after (Epoch-2) implementing a DBM program.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 1069 infants born at < 33 weeks' gestational age or birthweight < 1500 g and fed using our adjustable feeding protocol with accurate serial length measurements. Growth was assessed by changes in Z-scores of weight, length and fronto-occipital circumference from birth to discharge.
Results: Growth did not decrease significantly in Epoch-2. However, energy and protein intake increased by 5% and frequency of zinc and vitamin D supplementation increased by >30%.
Conclusions: DBM implementation did not significantly decrease growth from birth to discharge using our adjustable feeding protocol.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.