Protein Requirements of Infants: 3. The Nutrition of Premature Infants

The Value of Human Milk Compared with Other Feeds for Premature Infants

“…They showed the same wide scatter as was found by Young et al (1950) working in the same laboratory and are not shown in this report. The averages of the curves for each weight group on the various diets are shown in Fig.…”

“…We have found ample evidence to support the suggestion of Young et al (1950) that cow's milk with a protein content similar to human milk might not be a good food for premature babies. Babies fed on the low-protein evaporated cow's milk diet showed the slowest return to birth weight and the least rapid subsequent rate of gain, the highest proportion of babies requiring transfusion, the lowest serum protein levels and the highest hospital infection rate.…”

“…In addition, it has not yet been proved that the maximum rate of growth is the optimum. Young, Poyner-Wall, Humphreys, Finch and Broadbent (1950) working in the Sorrento Premature Baby Unit and the Birmingham Children's Hospital, studied the nutrition of premature babies by means of serum protein and haemoglobin levels as well as by weight. These workers found that the progress of babies weighing over 31 lb.…”

“…Gordon, Levine, Wheatley and Marples (1937) also observed excessive fluid retention with cow's milk formulae. Premature babies are-known to have a limited capacity to excrete electrolytes (Young, Hallum and McCance, 1941), so this oedema was probably due to the inability of the immature kidneys of these smaller babies to cope with the high electrolyte content of halfskimmed dried milk.…”

Continuous Intragastric Milk Feeds in Infants of Low Birth Weight

“…Movement of the diaphragm is easily impeded by gastric distension, so that inter- be of small volume and given at frequent intervals, and this is extravagant of nurses' time. It has been stated that a generous protein and energy intake is necessary to obtain optimal growth in infants of low birth weight (Gordon et al, 1947;Young et al, 1950;Davidson et al, 1967). One cannot say with certainty what is the optimal weight gain for these infants, but it should enable babies whose weight is "appropriate for dates" to return to their initial centiles within a few weeks and most babies "light for dates" to cross the lowest centile lines.…”