OBJECTIVE: To develop growth curves and to establish the dietary profile of preterm newborn infants with appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA) during hospital stay after birth. METHODS: This retrospective and descriptive study enrolled AGA preterm newborn infants born from January 2006 to December 2007, admitted to one NICU in Southeast Brazil. The following data were collected: anthropometric measures at birth (daily weight and length, weakly measures of head and chest circumference); as well as information on daily diet. Based on the collected anthropometric data, growth curves were built according to gestational age and they were compared to the main international and national intrauterine growth references. Third-degree polynomial functions were used for modeling growth curves. RESULTS: The study included 68 AGA preterm newborn infants, with a mean gestational age of 33.2±2.6 weeks. The median of the four anthropometric variables measured at birth were similar to the 50th percentile of the same measures in the intra-uterine growth reference curves. However, the 50th percentile of postnatal growth curves for the same variables were similar to the 10th percentile or -2 standard deviations of the intra-uterine reference growth curves. During hospital stay, 84.6% of the infants received breast milk; however, the median percentage of days of breast milk use in relation to the length of hospital stay was only 50% (variation: 2-100%). CONCLUSIONS: The anthropometric gains during hospital stay do not reproduce intrauterine growth. There is a need to increase breast milk offer during the entire period of hospitalization.
infant, premature; growth; child nutrition; anthropometry; milk, human; child health
