Post-discharge nutrition for high-risk preterm neonates

Abstract

Preterm infants may be nutritionally compromised at discharge, due to unrecovered early protein and energy deficits accumulated during hospital stay and because exclusive breastfeeding is not well established prior to going home. The strategy of enriching breast milk and infant formula to accelerate and catch-up growth must be weighed against the current evidence relating to these practices and in the context of the preterm phenotype at discharge, which persists into adulthood and which differs from that of term-born infants. Commencing the transition from liquid food to nutrient-dense solid foods and then progressing through a variety of textures should be considered in the context of gross motor development.