Discuss the special nutritional needs of the preterm infant and ways to meet these needs

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The last trimester of gestation is also a time of building nutrient stores. Being born with limited nutrient stores intensifies the already precarious situation for the infant. The physical and metabolic immaturity of preterm infants further compromises their nutrition status. Nutrient absorption, especially of fat and calcium, from an immature GI tract is limited. Consequently, preterm, low-birthweight infants are candidates for nutrient imbalances. Deficiencies of the fat-soluble vitamins, calcium, iron, and zinc are common.

Preterm breast milk is well suited to meet a preterm infant's needs. During early lactation, preterm breast milk contains higher concentrations of protein and is lower in volume than term breast milk. The low milk volume is advantageous because preterm infants consume small quantities of milk per feeding, and the higher protein concentration allows for better growth. In many instances, supplements of nutrients specifically designed for preterm infants are added to the mother's expressed breast milk and fed to the infant from a bottle. When fortified with a preterm supplement, preterm breast milk supports growth at a rate that approximates the growth rate that would have occurred within the uterus.