Nutrition Of Newborns
Nutrition of newborns
Optimal nutrition during the neonatal period supports newborn growth and development, as well as providing bonding with the parents. Current recommendations are for exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by a combination of solid foods and human milk until 12 months of age. Parents may also choose to feed their newborn commercially prepared formula. It is important for parents to know about the nutritional needs of newborns, the benefits of breastmilk, and bottle feeding.
By Naomi Ysimura
Fluids and calories
For their first 2 days, newborns need 60 to 80 mL of fluid per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day. For the next 4 days, they need 100 to 150 mL/kg/day. For the remainder of their first month, they need 120 to 180 mL/kg/day. They lose fluid through urination and respiration. It is essential to monitor their intake and output carefully, as they have little tolerance for fluctuations in fluid balance.
Caloric intake, measured in kilocalories (kcal), provides energy for growth, physical activity, and metabolic function. For the first 3 months of life, infants require 110 kcal/kg/day. Each ounce of breast milk and of formula contains about 20 kcal.
Breastfeeding
Human milk offers many health benefits for newborns, including enhanced immunity, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, and reduced risks of diabetes mellitus and childhood obesity.
Feeding-readiness cues include: rooting, sucking motions, and hand-to-hand or hand-to-mouth movements. It is important to initiate breastfeeding when the newborn demonstrates these cues rather than waiting until he is sleeping or crying. The optimal time for initiating breastfeeding is immediately after an uncomplicated birth. Putting the newborn and the mother in direct skin-to-skin contact (tummy-tummy) facilitates the first breastfeeding experience for the mother-infant pair.
Common positions for breastfeeding are the cradle, the modified cradle or
Optimal nutrition during the neonatal period supports newborn growth and development, as well as providing bonding with the parents. Current recommendations are for exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by a combination of solid foods and human milk until 12 months of age. Parents may also choose to feed their newborn commercially prepared formula. It is important for parents to know about the nutritional needs of newborns, the benefits of breastmilk, and bottle feeding.
By Naomi Ysimura
Fluids and calories
For their first 2 days, newborns need 60 to 80 mL of fluid per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day. For the next 4 days, they need 100 to 150 mL/kg/day. For the remainder of their first month, they need 120 to 180 mL/kg/day. They lose fluid through urination and respiration. It is essential to monitor their intake and output carefully, as they have little tolerance for fluctuations in fluid balance.
Caloric intake, measured in kilocalories (kcal), provides energy for growth, physical activity, and metabolic function. For the first 3 months of life, infants require 110 kcal/kg/day. Each ounce of breast milk and of formula contains about 20 kcal.
Breastfeeding
Human milk offers many health benefits for newborns, including enhanced immunity, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, and reduced risks of diabetes mellitus and childhood obesity.
Feeding-readiness cues include: rooting, sucking motions, and hand-to-hand or hand-to-mouth movements. It is important to initiate breastfeeding when the newborn demonstrates these cues rather than waiting until he is sleeping or crying. The optimal time for initiating breastfeeding is immediately after an uncomplicated birth. Putting the newborn and the mother in direct skin-to-skin contact (tummy-tummy) facilitates the first breastfeeding experience for the mother-infant pair.
Common positions for breastfeeding are the cradle, the modified cradle or