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A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
Feeding method and rehospitalization in newborns less than 1 month of age
1Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, Portland, OR, USA. tyler684@comcast.net
Insights
Many healthy breastfed newborns are hospitalized unnecessarily due to feeding issues. This can lead to increased costs and early breastfeeding cessation, highlighting the need for better infant feeding support.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric nutrition
- Infant feeding practices
Background:
- Hospitalization rates for newborns under one month are a concern.
- Feeding methods may influence infant health outcomes and hospital admission necessity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between infant feeding methods and hospitalization in newborns.
- To identify potential risk factors for unnecessary hospitalizations in the neonatal period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 143 newborns admitted to a tertiary children's hospital.
- Infants categorized by feeding method: exclusively breastfed, bottle-fed, or breastfed with supplements.
Main Results:
- Breastfed and supplemented newborns were younger, experienced greater weight loss, and often had no positive diagnostic findings.
- Bottle-fed newborns showed a higher incidence of positive diagnostic results and longer hospital stays.
- Many healthy, hungry breastfed infants were hospitalized, often for hyperbilirubinemia exacerbated by inadequate feeding.
Conclusions:
- Many hospitalizations for healthy, breastfed newborns may be preventable.
- Inadequate feeding in breastfed infants can exacerbate conditions like hyperbilirubinemia.
- Preventing unnecessary hospitalizations can reduce costs and support continued breastfeeding.
Objective:
To examine the relationship between feeding method and hospitalization in a group of newborns under 1 month of age.
Design:
Retrospective chart review based on admission diagnoses.
Setting:
Academic Medical Center and Tertiary Children's Hospital in the same northwest city.
Patients:
143 newborns divided into three groups based on feeding method at hospital admission: breastfed, bottle-fed, and breastfed with supplements.
Results:
A nearly equal number of males and females who were just as likely to be first born as later born experienced a mean weight loss of 8.5% and were hospitalized an average of 4.4 days. The breast-fed and supplemented newborns were younger and experienced greater weight loss, and the majority had no positive findings with the diagnostic workups. They responded quickly to increased caloric intake. The bottle-fed newborns had a higher incidence of positive diagnostic results and a longer hospital stay.
Conclusions:
The results of this study support the observation that many healthy but hungry breastfed newborns are being hospitalized. Other than breast-feeding difficulties, most newborns had few problems beyond hyperbilirubinemia, which may be exacerbated by inadequate feeding. The monetary and psychological costs of unnecessary hospitalizations and the potential for early discontinuation of breastfeeding may be preventable.
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