Maternal gestational, neonatal and nutritional factors of preterm newborn in the first 1000 days of life: pre-grow cohort

ABSTRACT Objective To describe maternal gestational, neonatal, and nutritional characteristics during hospitalization and after discharging up to 2 years of age. Methods This descriptive study of the “Pre-Grow Cohort” was conducted in a national institute with clinically stable preterm newborns and admitted between 2012 and 2016. Data on maternal characteristics (weight, body mass index, comorbidities), neonatal factors (weight, length, head circumference), and nutrition (use of human milk, infant formula, cow’s milk, and introduction of solid foods) were collected. Data was stored in REDCap and analyzed using IBM®SPSS® with descriptive statistics. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results The population was mostly composed of infants with adequate weight for gestational age (65.9%) and females (63.4%). Excessive gestational weight gain was observed in 49.3% of mothers with hypertension diagnosed in 30.5%. During hospitalization, 22 infants (26.8%) received exclusively human milk, while 60 infants (73.2%) were given infant formula. After discharge, only 2 infants (2.4%) received exclusively human milk, and among those who received infant formula (97.6%), some had added ingredients (45.1%), mostly sweetened flours (39,0%). The introduction of ultra-processed foods occurred before 11 months of corrected age, and the majority of infants (77.8%) received juice before 8 months of age. Conclusion The study identified important factors, such as excessive gestational weight gain, addition of sweetened flours, and early introduction of juice and ultra-processed foods, which may be modified through effective and early interventions.