Specialized Nutrition for Your Preemie

The arrival of a preemie may be more challenging for new parents. Your preemie may weigh less than the average newborn, and you may feel concerned about whether their nutrition needs are being met. Preemies have higher nutrient needs than full-term newborns, so their feeding requirements will be different. Your preemie may also need to stay in the hospital a little longer and receive special feedings to help ensure they get important nutrients to support the growth and development of important organs, such as their brain and lungs.

Don’t worry—with the help of a little extra information and the expertise of your baby’s healthcare team, you can feel prepared to give your preemie the support they need.

Typically, a preterm baby can begin breastfeeding attempts once they are mature enough to do so. This is often at about 34 weeks gestational age, and your baby's caregivers will help to determine when the time is right. Because preemies can have a hard time sucking, swallowing, and breathing all at the same time, your baby may start by receiving your milk through a special tube that's inserted through the nose or mouth and ends in the stomach—until they develop the coordination needed to go to the breast.

Your breast milk is the preferred choice for your preemie because it has immune protection factors tailored to your baby’s needs and will likely be very well-tolerated by their digestive system. If you plan to provide breast milk to your baby, tell your healthcare team so they can help you begin pumping right after birth. This step is crucial for developing a good milk supply, so you can have milk stored and available when your baby is ready to receive it.

Because their organs are still developing and they are growing so quickly, it’s important your preemie gets the nutrients needed to grow strong.

While breast milk is the best form of nutrition, your preterm baby's nutrient needs are greater than what breast milk alone can provide. Your baby's healthcare team may add a "human milk fortifier" to your breast milk that is specially designed for babies born prematurely. It enhances breast milk by adding protein, vitamins, and minerals to help support a preemie’s high nutrition needs for growth and development. 

Compared to formulas made for full-term infants, formulas made for preemies have increased nutrients to support important tissue and organ growth. Once a formula-fed preemie leaves the hospital, they can continue to benefit from a formula tailored to their unique needs. 

Even if you are breastfeeding, your baby's healthcare team may work with you on a plan to supplement your milk with a human milk fortifier or a formula that's specially made to support premature babies' development and growth after coming home from the hospital.

A post-discharge formula for preemies, like Similac^® NeoSure^®, has increased protein, vitamins, and minerals, compared to term formula, to help promote catch-up growth during the first year. It’s designed to support brain, eye, muscle, and bone growth, as well as their immune system.

Shop now and learn more about Similac NeoSure.

If feeding breast milk isn’t possible for you and your preemie, there are still great feeding options available to meet your little one’s high nutrition needs. Look for a formula with all the following ingredients: 

• Lutein. This is a carotenoid naturally found in colostrum and human milk and has been shown to support eye health in preterm infants 
  
• DHA. It supports brain and eye development 
• Vitamin E. This is also found in breast milk and supports developing cells 
• Calcium and phosphorus. Important minerals for baby’s growing and developing bones
• Protein. It helps grow, maintain, and repair tissues throughout the body, including muscles

Since your preemie didn’t get their full 9 months of growth in the womb, they will likely need "catch-up growth" in weight, length, and head size. This means your baby may need to grow faster than babies born full term. Similac NeoSure is an enriched-nutrition,^* preterm, post-discharge formula that’s clinically shown to support catch-up growth, on the outside and on the inside.^1-3

Similac NeoSure is an easy-to-digest-formula that has increased protein, vitamins, and minerals, compared to term infant formula to help promote catch-up growth during your preemie’s first year. Babies fed NeoSure have shown better gains in weight, length, and head circumference compared to babies fed term infant formula.³

Ask your baby’s neonatologist or pediatrician if you should consider consider an enriched-nutrition^* formula like Similac NeoSure for your preemie. Learn more

In the hospital, your baby's healthcare team will decide how much and how often your baby should eat. They may also provide you with some guidance on how to feed at home. If not, follow baby’s cues.

If they seem hungry in only 2 hours, feed them again. If you need to wake them up to feed, that's fine too. One of your main goals is to make sure your preemie gets the right amount of breast milk or formula for continued growth at home.

Though your preemie is starting off from a different place than many babies, pediatricians know that most premature babies will catch up in size within the first year of life. So, you have much to look forward to during this important year-one journey!

Your baby’s doctor will probably plot your little one’s growth measurements on a growth chart made for preemies. By the time their “corrected age” reaches 10 weeks, their doctor will switch to the growth chart used for full-term babies.

Track your baby’s catch-up growth(PDF, 0.80 MB) and work with your pediatrician to determine how to best meet the nutrition needs of your baby. 

^* Increased protein, vitamins, and minerals compared to term infant formula.

References: 1. Groh-Wargo S, et al. Pediatr Res. 2005;57(5, pt 1):712-718. 2. O’Connor DL, et al. Pediatrics. 2001;108(2):359-371. 3. Carver JD, et al. Pediatrics. 2001;107(4):683-689.

Sources: What to expect with premature baby care. Abbott. October 17, 2018. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.nutritionnews.abbott/pregnancy-childhood/infant-toddler/what-to-expect-with-premature-baby-care/ 
Getz M. Feeding your premature baby. Babycenter. October 17, 2022. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.babycenter.com/0_breastfeeding-premature-babies_8480.bc