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Fluid intake in term and preterm infants exposed to maternal diabetes

Catherine O Buck1, Veronika Shabanova1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Academia Nutrition and Dietetics
|July 6, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Infants born to mothers with diabetes in pregnancy had higher early fluid intake and accelerated weight gain in late preterm infants. These findings suggest potential differences in feeding maturity for this at-risk population.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Nutrition
  • Maternal Health
  • Pediatric Endocrinology

Background:

  • Pregnancy diabetes (DM) is linked to childhood obesity and cardiometabolic issues.
  • Preterm infants exposed to maternal DM exhibit altered early growth trajectories.
  • The impact of early nutrition on growth in DM-exposed preterm infants remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of maternal diabetes in pregnancy on early total fluid intake (TFI) and weight changes in newborns.
  • To analyze nutritional and growth patterns in preterm infants with and without maternal DM exposure.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study included preterm (30-36 weeks) and term infants.
  • Nutrition data (TFI) were collected from medical records.
  • Adjusted linear mixed-effects models analyzed TFI differences between DM exposure groups.

Main Results:

  • The maternal DM group (n=50) showed less exclusive breastfeeding on day 1.
  • Infants in the DM group had higher TFI in the first week, explained by infant weight.
  • Late preterm infants in the DM group experienced accelerated weight gain (postnatal days 7-14), correlating with lower TFI relative to weight.

Conclusions:

  • Differences in TFI observed in this cohort may be associated with feeding maturity in infants exposed to maternal diabetes.
  • Early nutrition and growth patterns differ in infants of mothers with diabetes.
  • Further research into feeding interventions for this population is warranted.
Abstract

Keywords:
diabetes in pregnancyearly nutritioninfant adiposityinfant growthpreterm birth

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