Preterm Infant Growth and Human Milk Exposure in the NICU

PRETERM INFANT GROWTH AND HUMAN MILK EXPOSURE IN THE NICU Purpose: Examine how feeding practices impact growth in infants less than 1500 grams from birth until reaching full enteral feedings. Identify growth velocity rates associated with clinician initiation of fortification of preterm infant human milk feedings. Design: Retrospective descriptive study Setting: Level three neonatal intensive care unit in a small urban community in Southeast Wisconsin. Participants: A convenience sample of 82 very low birth weight preterm infants who were born with birth weight \u3c 1500 grams, vaginal or cesarean birth, born at study hospital or transferred to study hospital within 12 hours of birth. Methods: Data were collected from the participant’s electronic health records from birth until the infant reached full enteral feedings. Results: 82 preterm infants with a mean gestational age 29.30 weeks (SD 3.11) and mean birthweight 1108.84g (SD 272.77) were included. In those infants that received fortification of mother’s own milk and/or pasteurized donor human milk (53.7%), mean growth velocity was 3.89 gm/kg/day (SD 12.76) and mean volume of enteral intake was 132.60 mL/kg/day (SD 28.29). When reaching full feeding, mean growth velocity was 0.15 gm/kg/day (SD 11.09). Conclusions: Initiation of human milk fortification or lactoengineering earlier in development may have prevented or decreased extent of growth failure as evidenced by growth velocity less than 15 gm/kg/day when reaching full enteral feedings