Milk feeding and prevalence of breastfeeding in premature infants attended at a child-friendly hospital in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil - DOI: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v7i2.4992

Abstract

Despite the advantages identified in the literature and recommendations of national and international organizations the prevalence of breastfeeding (BF) is still low for the preterm infants (PTI). The purpose of the present study was to identify the type of feeding, the administration route and the techniques used for the first oral feeding prescribed to PT and the prevalence of BF on the occasion of hospital discharge. A retrospective study was carried out at a child-friendly hospital in Ribeirão Preto-SP. Two hundred fourteen PTI were attended between 09/2003 and 08/2004. We surveyed the files of 116 of them, who attended to the following inclusion criteria. Milk feeding was started at an early stage with mother’s milk administered by gavage. Upon discharge from hospital, 76.72% of the PTI were being breastfed. The results corroborate with the literature regarding the use of breast milk as the first dairy food and the influence of weight, gestational age and hospitalization time on the type of milk offered upon hospital discharge. Despite the improvements in BF rates at the institution, as a result of the team’s efforts, exclusive BF rates at the time of discharge are still distant from those expected.