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[Effects of different feeding patterns on the growth and development of infants with very/extremely low birth weight]
Qian-Qian Li1, Qian Liu, Jun-Mei Yan
1Department of Neonatology, Xuzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221009, China. 4081876@qq.com.
Insights
Breastfeeding with human milk fortifier significantly improves growth in very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. Early nutritional guidance is crucial for VLBW/ELBW infants to prevent growth deviations within the first three months.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Growth and Development
Background:
- Very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants face significant challenges in growth and development post-discharge.
- Optimizing feeding strategies is critical for improving outcomes in these vulnerable infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the growth and development of VLBW/ELBW preterm infants up to 6 months corrected age.
- To evaluate the impact of different feeding patterns on the growth trajectory of these infants.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 109 VLBW/ELBW infants was monitored for growth using Z-scores up to 6 months corrected age.
- Feeding patterns were categorized into breastfeeding (breast milk + fortifier), mixed feeding, and artificial feeding (preterm formula).
- Statistical analysis compared growth indices across feeding groups.
Main Results:
- Growth Z-scores for weight, height, weight-for-height, and BMI peaked around 3 months corrected age, while head circumference peaked at 5 months.
- Growth deviations were most common between 1-3 months corrected age.
- Breastfeeding with human milk fortifier showed significantly superior body weight, height, and head circumference growth compared to other feeding methods at 3 and 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Early, individualized follow-up and nutritional support are essential to mitigate growth deviations in VLBW/ELBW infants, particularly within the first 1-3 months.
- Maternal breastfeeding supplemented with human milk fortifier represents the optimal feeding strategy for promoting growth in VLBW/ELBW preterm infants.
Objective:
To investigate the growth and development of very low birth weight (VLBW)/extremely low birth weight (ELBW) preterm infants within the corrected age of 6 months and the effect of different feeding patterns on growth and development.
Methods:
A total of 109 VLBW/ELBW preterm infants who were discharged from January 2016 to April 2017 and who had completed regular follow-up were enrolled, and their growth and development within the corrected age of 6 months were monitored. The Z-score method was used to evaluate physical indices and analyze the effect of different feeding patterns (breastfeeding group: breast milk + human milk fortifier; mixed feeding group: breast milk + preterm formula milk; artificial feeding: preterm formula milk) on growth and development.
Results:
The peaks of weight-for-age Z-score, height-for-age Z-score, weight-for-height Z-score, and BMI-for-age Z-score occurred within the corrected age of 3 months, and the peak of head circumference-for-age Z-score occurred at the corrected age of 5 months. Growth deviation of the infants often occurred within the corrected age of 1-3 months. At the corrected age of 3 months, the breastfeeding group had significantly better body weight, height and head circumference growth than the mixed feeding group and/or the artificial feeding group (P<0.05). At the corrected age of 6 months, the breastfeeding group had significantly better head circumference and body length growth than the mixed feeding group and/or the artificial feeding group (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
Growth deviation of VLBW/ELBW preterm infants often occurs within the corrected age of 1-3 months, suggesting that early individualized follow-up and nutritional guidance should be strengthened to reduce growth deviation. Maternal breastfeeding with the addition of human milk fortifier is the best feeding pattern for VLBW/ELBW preterm infants.
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