Mother’s milk for low-birth-weight infants

Every year, more than 20 million infants are born weighing less than 2.5 kg – over 96% of them in developing countries. These low-birth-weight (LBW) infants are at increased risk of early growth retardation, infectious disease, developmental delay and death during infancy and childhood.

Most LBW is a consequence of preterm birth, small size for gestational age, or both.

Interventions to improve the feeding of LBW infants are likely to improve the immediate and longer-term health and well-being of the individual infant and have a significant impact on neonatal and infant mortality levels in the population.

Breastfeeding is best for infants, however LBW infants are frequently unable to breastfeed for a number of reasons. LBW infants fed by alternative methods, such as cup, spoon or intragastric tube, can still benefit from their mother’s own milk. Current evidence indicates that feeding mother’s own milk to LBW infants is associated with lower mortality, lower incidence of severe infections and necrotizing enterocolitis, and improved mental development scores, compared with feeding infant formula.