Becoming a Premature Birth Weight of Less than 1500g under Breastfeeding

Abstract

Objective: Study the impact of breast feeding on the fate of preterm infants with a birth weight of less than 1500g. 

Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective, analytical descriptive study carried out over a period of one year (2019) at the neonatal unit of the pediatric department of the Sikasso Hospital. All premature newborns weighing less than 1500g were included. Premature infants over 1500g and term infants were excluded from the study. Chi2 test and odds ratios were used to highlight risk factors for death. The significance threshold adopted was p < 0.05.  Results: A total of 50 premature newborns out of 130 admitted. 53.4% female and 45.6% male. 13% of mothers were between 17 and 20 years old with a poor pregnancy in 25.1%; 56.5% were housewives; 11.8% lived in urban areas; 53.4% of premature infants had an entry weight of less than 1200g. The majority of premature babies were fed breast milk through an orogastric tube and / or a teaspoon. Fifty-four (54%) of premature infants acquired food independence between 36 and 38 weeks corrected age. At discharge, 78.8% of premature babies are kept eutrophic; 21.2% acquired ectopic growth retardation. 70% benefited from catching up the weight.