Prevention includes the use of breast milk and probiotics. A 2012 policy by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended feeding preterm infants human milk, finding "significant short- and long-term beneficial effects," including reducing the rate of<unk>  by a factor of one-half to three-quarters. Small amounts of oral feeds of human milk starting as soon as possible, while the infant is being primarily fed intravenously, primes the immature gut to mature and become ready to receive greater intake by mouth. Human milk from a milk bank or donor can be used if mother's milk is unavailable. The gut mucosal cells do not get enough nourishment from arterial blood supply to stay healthy, especially in very premature infants, where the blood supply is limited due to immature development of the capillaries, so nutrients from the lumen of the gut are needed. Towards understanding intervention with human milk, experts have noted cow's and human milk differ in their immunoglobular and glycan compositions. Due to their relative ease of production, human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) are a subject of particular interest in supplementation and intervention. A Cochrane review in 2020 found low- to moderate-quality evidence that supplementation of probiotics enterally "prevents severe<unk> , as well as all-cause mortality in preterm infants" and that further high-quality trials are needed to inform policy and practice. Advancing enteral feed volumes at lower rates does not appear to reduce the risk of<unk>  or death in very preterm infants and seems to increase the risk of invasive infection. Not beginning feeding an infant by mouth for more than 4 days does not appear to have protective benefits.
Necrotizing enterocolitis
Sepsis
Neutropenic enterocolitis
Anal fissure
Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome
Hirschsprung's disease
Intestinal malrotation
Enterocolitis