By the end of the first trimester, a baby’s organs are fully formed, but they need to grow significantly between the 22nd and 38th week of pregnancy, increasing from just over a pound to over 6 pounds. This growth is supported by the placenta transferring nutrients from the mother’s blood. Premature babies, especially those born before 32 weeks, face challenges in achieving similar growth due to underdeveloped stomachs and guts, which hampers their ability to digest and absorb nutrients efficiently. While human milk is the best nutrition for premature babies, it may not provide all necessary nutrients for their rapid development. NeoKare’s mission is to help premature babies overcome these challenges and live healthy lives by producing nutritional products from 100% UK donated human milk.

To promote optimal growth in premature babies, doctors may supplement mother’s milk with nutritional fortifiers. These add proteins, carbohydrates, fats, salts, and vitamins to meet the baby’s needs and have been used for over 30 years. However, some medical professionals have concerns about their safety, and there is an ongoing lawsuit in the USA alleging that fortifiers caused necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. Despite being labeled ‘human milk fortifiers,’ these products often contain cow’s milk proteins, vegetable and seed oils, fish oil, and industrially produced maltodextrin, making them potentially allergenic and ultra-processed.

At NeoKare, we recognize that human milk contains much more than calories, proteins, sugars, and fats. It includes over 1,000 unique protein components, with about 30% being exclusive to humans, playing crucial roles in preventing infections and inhibiting harmful gut microbes. Unlike cow’s milk-based products, human milk’s proteins can neutralize harmful bacteria and viruses, protecting premature babies from infections. Additionally, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in human milk bind to bacteria and viruses, preventing infections. Human milk also contains growth factors vital for the development of a baby’s gut, brain, and other organs, which animal-based protein sources cannot provide.

NeoKare produces three categories of products based on 100% UK donated human milk. We process and package these in our state of the art facilities in Redditch, UK. During processing there is nothing added to the human milk. No preservatives, no vegetable or seed oils, no industrially produced food components. Just 100% human milk.