The institutional cost of acquiring 100 mL of human milk for very low birth weight infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Background: Human milk from the biologic mother (HM) reduces disease burden and associated costs of care during and after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization for very low birth weight (VLBW; birth weight < 1500 g) infants, when compared to feedings of donor human milk (DHM) or commercial formula (CF). However, compared to DHM and CF, little is known about the institutional cost to acquire HM from the biologic mother.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the institutional cost of acquiring HM for VLBW infant feedings during the NICU hospitalization.