Introduction

Nutrition is a key component of NICU care, and proper nutrition supports not only adequate growth and prevention of metabolic bone disease of prematurity, but also improves long-term neurodevelopmental, metabolic, and BPD outcomes.

Goals

• Promoting breastfeeding and provision of breast milk during and after NICU admission
• Devise best practices for parenteral nutrition, feeding fortification, and thickeners
• Assessing practice variation and developing evidence based guidelines for transition to oral feeding
• Determining best practices for monitoring, preventing, and treating neonatal vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including metabolic bone disease of prematurity and iron deficiency
• Develop best practices and consensus guidelines for development and implementation of home NG programs at level IV NICUs
• Provide a forum for discussion and feedback on nutrition-focused research projects