A fortifier is a nutritional boost added to breastmilk to give preemies the extra calories and protein they need to grow. When mixed with your breastmilk, it’s kind of like a preemie protein shake.

BE AWARE – Despite the name designation,"Human Milk Fortifier" (HMF) – all but one brand of fortifiers in the U.S. are made from cow milk. In the U.S., Prolacta is the only brand of "human milk fortifier" made from 100% donor breastmilk, making it a gentle choice for your preemie’s immature digestive system.

NEC, or necrotizing enterocolitis, is a serious intestinal disease primarily affecting premature or sick newborns. It causes the lining of the baby’s intestine to become swollen and damaged. In severe cases, the intestinal wall can develop a hole that may require surgery to repair. An exclusive human milk diet including Prolacta’s products are clinically proven to reduce the risk of NEC, protecting fragile babies from this life-threatening disease.^{[Assad, Hair 2016, Sullivan]}

While all fortifiers are labeled 'human milk fortifier,' only Prolacta's are made from 100% donor human milk. All others are made from cow milk.

Studies show that an "Exclusive Human Milk Diet" (mom’s own milk or donor milk, if mom’s milk is unavailable, combined with Prolacta’s fortifiers or formulas) is associated with fewer complications, as compared with babies fed a cow-milk based formula or fortifier ^{[Abrams, Cristofolo, Sullivan]}

An EHMD means your baby’s diet consists of 100% breastmilk and products made from 100% breastmilk. In the NICU, this includes breastmilk + Prolacta's breastmilk-based fortifiers or formulas. An EHMD is clinically proven to reduce serious complications in preemies compared to diets containing cow milk-based products. ^{[Assad, Hair 2016, Sullivan]}

Last year, over 50% of advanced NICUs in the U.S. used Prolacta’s nutritional products for the smallest preemies in their care.^{[Data on file]}

Breastmilk is nature's perfect food for your baby. Breastmilk is full of antibodies and other immune-boosting properties to help fight infections, and it is gentle on the immature digestive tract of your premature baby. ^{[AAP 2022]} However, breastmilk alone isn't enough for extremely premature babies. They need 20-40% more calories and 2-3x the protein than breastmilk provides. ^{[Hair 2016/cream study, AAP 2022]}

Prolacta's breastmilk-based fortifiers and formulas add this extra nutrition while maintaining the safety of an exclusive human milk diet, helping these tiny babies grow and go home sooner. ^{[Assad, Huston 2020, Huston 2018, Hair 2013]}

If you are able to produce breastmilk, yes, it will still be an important part of your baby's nutrition. Fortifiers simply add the extra calories and protein your baby needs to grow stronger.^{[Huston 2020, Huston 2018, Hair 2013]}

For moms who can’t produce enough breastmilk, many hospitals offer donor breastmilk, including donor breastmilk from Prolacta and our breastmilk-based Ready to Feed (RTF) formula.

Healthy moms in the U.S. with more breastmilk than their own babies need, donate their excess milk to Prolacta to help nourish vulnerable preemies in the NICU. Each donor is carefully screened (like blood donors), and every donation is tested for disease-causing pathogens, DNA-matched to its donor, and pasteurized for safety. Each bottle of fortifier is tracked from donor to NICU to ensure quality and safety.

Prolacta offers a comprehensive range of 100% human milk-based nutritional fortifiers and formulas.

Premature Infant Nutrition
Prolact+ H²MF: Supplementing mom's own or donor breastmilk with the first commercially available human milk–based fortifier made from 100% human donor milk instead of cow milk.

Prolact CR^® Human Milk Caloric Fortifier: When premature infants need additional calories to support their growth, this human milk–based caloric fortifier delivers.

Prolact RTF (Ready-To-Feed): This ready-to-feed, breastmilk–based formula offers NICUs an alternative to cow milk-based formula when mom's breastmilk is not available.

Human Donor Milk (Pasteurized, Standardized): When an adequate supply of mom's breastmilk is not available, donor milk is rapidly becoming the standard of care for feeding premature infants.

Term Infant Nutrition

Surgifort^® Human Milk Fortifier (Human, Pasteurized): Term babies with gastroschisis have special nutritional needs considering their delicate gastrointestinal system. When recovering from surgery, these term babies need human milk and may need human-milk based fortifiers for additional nutrition to help recover from surgery.