BREAST-FEEDING IN PRETERM INFANTS

The aim. If maternal milk is the best food for a term infant, for a preterm infant it will also be the best for the growth and development of an immature child. The aim of this work was to examine, by retrospective analysis, the frequency of breast-feeding in preterm infants and relate it with some epidemiologic variables (demographic, social, medical). Material and methods. In the period from 1993 to 1999 we analyzed the frequency of breast-feeding in all preterm deliveries from 22 to 36 weeks of gestation except for multiple pregnancies. The clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics of Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka is the first maternity hospital in Croatia that was proclaimed »Baby Friendly Hospital« by the UNICEF in 1996. We analyzed the following parameters in mothers: the age, matrimonial status, education, course of pregnancy, mode of beginning and delivery termination. In newborns: weight, Apgar score ≤7 at the first and fifth minute, acidosis, intracranial hemorrhage, early neurological signs, respiratory distress syndrome and infections. Results. In the examined period there were 22 119 deliveries out of which 923 (4.17%) were preterm deliveries. Out of the total of 923 preterm infants 453 (49.07%) were breast-fed: from 29 to 32 weeks of gestation 20 (4.41%) newborns, and from 33 to 36 weeks 433 (95.58%) newborns. Apgar score ≤7 at the first minute was present in 97 (21.41%) cases. Apgar score ≤7 at the fifth minute was present in 37 (8.16%) cases. No newborn had acidosis, 8 (1.76%) newborns had intracranial hemorrhage, one had (0.22%) early signs of cerebral disorder, 33 (7.28%) respiratory distress syndrome and 35 (7.72%) infection. Fifty percent of our preterm infants were fed with maternal milk and we continue to make additional efforts to reduce the percentage of non breast-fed children. Mothers who were breast feeding were more frequently primiparae aged from 26 to 35, married, employed and smoked up to 10 cigarettes a day. In mothers who were breast-feeding no children died. Conclusion. Feeding preterm infant with maternal milk should be a part of the intensive care and therapy of such a chil