Thirty-nine premature infants, 29 of whom received human milk (HMG) and 10 of whom received formula only (FG), were enrolled in a study examining the effect of human milk on cognitive and motor development. Infants were assessed at 3, 7, and 12 months corrected ages; the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test was administered to their mothers. HMG infants had higher motor scores than FG infants at 3 months (48 +/- 20 vs 35 +/- 12, P = .05) and 12 months (63 +/- 20 vs 46 +/- 15, P < .05) and higher cognitive scores at 12 months corrected age (101 +/- 11 vs 90 +/- 9, P < .05). HMG infants had higher scores (motor R2 = 0.2, cognitive R2 = 0.3; P < .05) adjusting for oxygen requirement and maternal vocabulary score. Human milk is associated with improved development of premature infants at 3 and 12 months corrected age in this sample.

SimplyThick s (ST) has been safely used as a thickener to treat adults who have dysphagia, but the safety of this product has not been studied in premature infants. Xanthan gum is the ingredient in ST that results in thickening and also is an effective laxative. We recently began using ST to treat premature infants with dysphagia and/or gastroesophageal reflux. We describe three cases of premature infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after they were fed ST. Unlike classic NEC, all three cases presented with late-onset colonic NEC.

Study Design: In all, 69 premature infants born at <33 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups: (1) No-Sting or (2) Aquaphor for a total of 14 days.Result: Gestational age and total fluid intake were related to NSCS whereas gestational age, incubator humidity levels and total daily fluid intake were significantly related to TEWL. Infants receiving Aquaphor had significantly higher NSCS, but the mean scores in both groups over the 14-day period were in the normal range (<4). There were no differences between Aquaphor and No-Sting in the rate of TEWL over the 14-day period. Conclusion:This study provides the first information regarding the use of No-Sting in the neonatal population. This skin protectant seems as effective as Aquaphor in decreasing TEWL and maintaining skin integrity, and is less resource intensive.

Ingestion of human milk post discharge is associated with a reduction of upper respiratory symptoms in premature infants during their first year of life.