Maternal milk intake and the foetus growth: A bio-cultural study in Pune

Abstract

The relationship between maternal diet and foetal parameters has been a matter of debate because of the number of parameters and various dimensions associated with it. The study has gained attraction because of its importance despite of uncertainty and controversy in it.: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal milk consumption and fetal growth as well as the birth weight of the newborn. To achieve this objective, dietary information was collected using a 24-hour diet recall survey, and protein intake was evaluated based on dietary intake. A total of 455 ultrasound observations from 229 respondents were collected by using a Prospective Observational Cohort Mixed Longitudinal study design in the second and last trimester of pregnancy from one private and two government hospitals in Pune, India where direct interviews were taken. Dietary data were collected using 24-hour diet recall. Food Frequency questionnaire was administered to understand the dietary habits and preferences. The average protein intake was 77.33g/day. Birth weight and Protein intake of mother do not show statistically significant linear relationship (=0.605) The descriptive test shows that the majority of respondents had tendency to consume less than one cup (155.64 mL) of milk per day. The study shows better tendency of foetal growth in BPD, HC, AC, FL, FW, Weight at birth in the group of the respondent consuming milk more than 4 cups (>717mL) per day. This growth might be due to the micronutrient intake of mother. There is no association between maternal milk intake and the fetus growth.