Breast milk intake and nutritional assessment of exclusively breastfed infants

Introduction: WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of infant' life. As breast milk is the main source of energy and nutrients, the right intake of breast milk is the most appropriate way to ensure adequacy of nutritional requirements. Aim: To assess breast milk intake by the dose to the mother deuterium oxide turnover method and evaluate the nutritional adequacy of exclusive breastfed infants. Material and Methods: A descriptive study was designed in a group of mother-infant pairs evaluated for 14 days. Maternal body weight and height were measured and body mass index and the percentage of overweight were calculated. Infants' body weight and length were measured and Z-score of weight/age, length/age, weight/length and BMI/age were calculated. The breast milk intake was evaluated by the oral administration of a 30 g of deuterated water to the mother and collection of saliva samples of the pairs in six days postdosis. The intake of energy and macronutrients and the adequacy of the energy and protein requirements of the infants were calculated. Results: 13 mother-infant pairs were evaluated at 3,7 +/- 0,8 months old. The anthropometric indexes of all infants were normal. 43% of the mothers were overweight. Breast milk intake was 929,4 +/- 191,8 mL/day. The percentage of energy and protein adequacy of the infants were 115,1 +/- 19,6 and 102,2 +/- 17,1, respectively. Also, regardless of the volume of breast milk intake, the Z-score of BMI/age of the infants was between +/- 2 standard deviations. Conclusions: The breast milk intake, measured by the dose to the mother deuterium oxide turnover method, was sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of the exclusively breastfed infants and achieve their normal growth. The breast milk intake as well as the energy and macronutrient intakes of this group of infants were similar to those reported in other studies.