Abstract
Early nutrition is one of the most modifiable factors influencing postnatal growth. Optimal nutrient intakes for very preterm infants remain unknown, and poor postnatal growth is common in this population. The aim of this study was to assess nutrient intake during the first 4 weeks of life with early progressive enteral feeding and its impact on the in-hospital growth of very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. In total, 120 infants with birth weights below 1500 g and gestational ages below 35 weeks were included in the study. Nutrient intakes were assessed daily for the first 28 days. Growth was measured weekly until discharge. Median time of parenteral nutrition support was 6 days. Target enteral nutrient and energy intake were reached at day 10 of life, and remained stable until day 28, with slowly declining protein intake. Median z-scores at discharge were −0.73, −0.49, and −0.31 for weight, length, and head circumference, respectively. Extrauterine growth restriction was observed in 30.3% of the whole cohort. Protein, carbohydrates, and energy intakes correlated positively with weight gain and head circumference growth. Early progressive enteral feeding with human milk is well tolerated in VLBW infants. Target enteral nutrient intake may be reached early and improve in-hospital growth.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralPremature birth results in a sudden abruption of nutrients delivered via the placenta.Many very low-birth-weight infants (VLBW,
The environment for extrauterine growth is much different from the intrauterine, and the majority of very preterm infants do not reach their birth centile at term-corrected gestational age
Since the sample was not homogenous for birth weight and gestational age, for more detailed analysis, we divided the whole cohort into three birth weight (BW) groups
Summary
Premature birth results in a sudden abruption of nutrients delivered via the placenta. Many very low-birth-weight infants (VLBW,
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