Nutrient composition of milk produced by mothers of preterm infants in Nigeria

Nutrient composition was determined in breast milk obtained by manual expression from 12 mothers who delivered prematurely (mean 32 weeks) and 15 mothers who delivered at term (mean 39.4 weeks), on days 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 postpartum. Complete 24-hour milk expressed by five term mothers and seven preterm mothers on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 lactational ages was also recorded. In both preterm and term mothers' milk, lactose and fact concentrations increased with lactational age, while protein and mineral concentrations decreased. The preterm mothers' milk contained higher concentrations of protein, fat and minerals and lower concentrations of lactose than term mothers's milk. The fat and caloric density of milk of the mothers in this study, who were mostly of low social class, was lower than that reported from Western countries. The implication of this finding for feeding premature infants in developing countries is discussed.