The Effect of Intermittent and Continuous Feeding on Growth and Discharge Time in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of intermittent bolus feeding and continuous feeding models on early growth and discharge time in very low birth weight infants. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective, randomized, and controlled study. Infants born in our hospital with birth weight below 1500 g within a 1 year period were included in the study. The number of samples was determined by power analysis. Babies were randomized according to birth weight and fed with intermittent bolus feeding and continuous feeding models. Demographic characteristics, clinical findings, diagnosis, nutritional status, and length of hospital stay were compared. Results: The study was conducted with 80 preterm infants, which consisted of continuous feeding (n=41) and intermittent bolus feeding (n=39). There was no significant difference in gender, gestational week, birth weight, height, and head circumference distribution of the babies between groups. The difference between the reach time to birth weight and maximum weight loss rates, parenteral feeding time, transition time to full enteral feeding, transition time to oral feeding, development of feeding intolerance, mechanical ventilation time, and hospitalization time in intensive care unit were not statistically significant. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) Stage I and II developed in 34.1% of babies fed with continuous feeding model and 28.2% of babies fed intermittently; NEC was detected to start in 4.5 +/- 2.8 days in the continuous feeding group and in 2.8 +/- 5.2 days in the intermittent group. These differences were found to be insignificant between the two groups (p=0.634 and p=0.266, respectively). Conclusion: There was no difference between growth parameters and discharge time of preterm babies who were applied continuous and intermittent bolus feeding model. Although there was no statistically significant difference on the development of NEC, it was determined that NEC developed earlier in the intermittent bolus feeding model.