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Breast milk feeding in very low birthweight infants
Author(s) -
YU V. Y. H.,
JAMIESON J.,
BAJUK B.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1981.tb01936.x
Subject(s) - medicine , breastfeeding , breast milk , necrotizing enterocolitis , breast feeding , population , pediatrics , low birth weight , incidence (geometry) , obstetrics , lactation , formula feeding , infant formula , pregnancy , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , biology , optics , genetics
. The infant feeding practices of 77 very low birthweight (VLBW) survivors with birthweights under 1500 g were studied. 58 (75%) infants received fresh expressed breast milk (EBM) from their own mothers, of whom 42 were successfully breastfed at a medium postconceptual age of 36 weeks. Overall incidence of breastfeeding in the VLBW population was 44% at 3 months and 23% at 6 months. The postnatal ages at which breastfeeding stopped ranged from 2 months to 28 months (median 4 months). No significant differences in perinatal factors were found between the breast milk and milk formula groups. There were significantly more mothers in the breast milk group who were given advice and encouragement during their pregnancy on breastfeeding and who had planned in the antenatal period to breastfeed their infants. The most common reasons given for deciding against providing breast milk were related to extreme prematurity of the infant. Nursery weight gain of infants fed breast milk and milk formula were similar. Necrotizing enterocolitis occurred significantly less frequently in the breast milk group. The study suggested that the special attention and positve encouragement given to parents of VLBW infants had contributed to the successful establishment and continuation of a feeding regime utilizing fresh breast milk from the infant's own mother, which we believe has immunological, psychological and nutritional benefits in this high‐risk infant population.