Human Milk Fortification: A Practical Analysis of Current Evidence.

Human milk (HM) with appropriate fortification is the recommended nutrition for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Fortification provides additional nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to support the growing preterm infant during critical periods of development. This article discusses the variability of HM including differences between maternal and pasteurized donor human milk (DHM), fortification of HM through the use of single- and multi-nutrient fortifiers, and clinical controversies including the timing of fortification, volume of feedings, and future innovations in HM fortification.