Optimizing Nutrition for Preterm Infants After Discharge

Key messages:

• Breastfeeding or feeding with breast milk remains the gold standard for former preterm infants even after hospital discharge and has a positive impact on health and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
• It is strongly recommended that all extreme and very preterm infants undergo close nutritional and growth monitoring after discharge. This should include regular checks of weight, length, and head circumference, with an emphasis on maintaining proportional growth between length and weight.
• The timing of introducing complementary feeding does not impact the growth of preterm infants during their first year of life. Therefore, solids should be introduced based on the neurological readiness of the preterm infant.