Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
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Donor human milk (DHM) is increasingly being used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to achieve exclusive human milk (EHM) feedings in preterm infants. The aim of the study was to determine the cost of DHM to achieve EHM feeding for very preterm infants. The hypothesis was that the cost of DHM per infant is modulated by the availability of mother's own milk (MOM). ⋯ Most NICU mothers (72%) of very preterm infants were unable to provide all of the milk necessary for an EHM diet. Few infants (15%) received exclusively DHM. The cost of DHM per NICU infant ranged from $27 to $590 and was influenced by the mother's willingness or ability to provide human milk.