Correlations (r2) between the feeding methods and three outcome variables_
| Variable | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. LOH | 1 | |||||
| 2. DOL to reach 2200g of BW | 0.87* | 1 | ||||
| 3. DOL when gavage feeding was started | 0.36* | 0.37* | 1 | 0.40* | ||
| 4. DOL when nipple feed was started | 0.88* | 0.81* | 0.38* | 1 | 0.83 | |
| 5. DOL of full gavage & nipple feeds | 0.83* | 0.80* | 1 | |||
| 6. DOL of full nipple feeds | 0.88* | 0.86* | 0.39* | 0.84* | 0.84* | 1 |
Maternal and neonatal clinical characteristics_ (Data presented as mean (SD) for numerical and number (%) for categorical variables)_
| Variables | n = 127 |
|---|---|
| Gestational age (weeks) | 30.6 (1.9) |
| Birthweight (grams) | 1,482 (43.9) |
| Male | 65 (51.2) |
| Non-Caucasian | 84 (66.1) |
| Apgar at five minutes of life | 7.8 (1.2) |
| Total number of days on antibiotics | 5.2 (4.8) |
| Oxygen or positive pressure therapy | 102 (80.3) |
| PDA | 18 (14.2) |
| NEC | 2 (1.6) |
| Maternal hypertension | 43 (34.5) |
| Maternal diabetes mellitus | 14 (10.9) |
| Antenatal steroids | 117 (92.1) |
| Antenatal magnesium sulfate | 108 (85.7) |
| Antenatal antibiotics | 74 (64.2) |
| NPO days | 4.7 (4.2) |
| Total days on intravenous fluids-nutrition | 18.1 (13.49) |
| DOL when any feeding was started | 3.4 (1.97) |
| DOL when gastric bolus feeding was started | 3.6 (2.18) |
| DOL when nipple feeding was started | 14.2 (14.52) |
| GA, when nipple feeding was started | 32.4 (1.18) |
| DOL when full nipple feeding was achieved | 25.7 (18.96) |
| Colostrum intake | 80 (62.9) |
| Maternal breast milk intake | 93 (73.2) |
| Daily weight gain | 22.6 (6.85) |
| Length of hospitalization (days) (LOH) | 44.8 (20.7) |
| Days to reach 2200 grams of body weight (Wt22) | 36.1 (17.8) |
| Day of life when full feeding achieved (gastric and nipple feeding combined) (FEN) | 18.8 (12.3) |
Associations between clinical and nutrition supplementation variables with DOL to achieve full enteral feeding (FEN) via linear regression analysis_
| Variable | Univariate B (SE) | Multivariate B (SE) |
|---|---|---|
| Gestational age (weeks) | −5.39 (0.33)*** | −1.06 (0.52)* |
| Birthweight (g) | −0.03 (0.002)*** | <0.001 (0.002) |
| Male gender | 0.92 (2.47) | – |
| Non-Caucasian ethnicity | −0.85 (2.60) | – |
| Apgar score at five minutes of life | −4.45 (0.90) *** | 0.24 (0.45) |
| Days on antibiotics | 22.53 (3.05) *** | 1.87 (1.95) |
| Oxygen or positive pressure therapy | 15.52 (3.44) *** | −3.45 (1.89) |
| PDA | 14.81 (3.47) *** | 1.44 (1.78) |
| NPO days | 15.12 (1.94) *** | 4.30 (1.23)** |
| Colostrum intake | 6.66 (2.63) *** | −1.63 (1.17) |
| Maternal breast milk intake | 4.98 (2.91) | |
| Total days on intravenous fluid-nutrition | 35.48 (1.90)*** | 14.48 (2.97)*** |
| DOL when gastric bolus feed started | 2.60 (0.52)*** | 0.29 (0.36) |
| DOL when nipple feeding started | 0.81 (0.05)*** | 0.22 (0.07)** |
| GA, when nipple feeding was started | −0.57 (1.05) | – |
| DOL of achieving full nipple feeding | 0.62 (0.04)*** | 0.14 (0.06)* |
| Daily weight gain (grams) | −3.73 (10.31) | – |
| Intercept | – | 27.29 (17.52) |
Associations between clinical and nutrition supplementation variables with number of days to reach 2,200 g (Wt22) via linear regression analysis_
| Variable | Univariate B (SE) | Multivariate B (SE) |
|---|---|---|
| Gestational age | −7.28 (0. 15)** | −0.13 (0.49) |
| Birthweight (g) | −0.04 (0.001)*** | −0.03 (0.002)*** |
| Male gender | 1.08 (3.18) | – |
| Non-Caucasian ethnicity | 0.94 (3.36) | – |
| Apgar score at five minutes of life | −4.84 (1.25)*** | −0.34 (0.43) |
| Days on antibiotics | 22.24 (4.48) *** | 1.26 (1.83) |
| Oxygen or positive pressure therapy | 21.89 (4.81)*** | −0.36 (1.89) |
| PDA | 22.10 (4.81)*** | 0.24 (1.77) |
| NPO days | 12.54 (2.88)*** | 1.98 (1.15) |
| Colostrum intake | 10.80 (3.65) *** | 0.25 (1.16) |
| Maternal breast milk intake | 7.59 (4.06) | – |
| Total days on intravenous fluid-nutrition | 40.84 (3.14)*** | 2.69 (2.81) |
| DOL when OG bolus feed was started | 2.88 (0.69)*** | 0.37 (0.33) |
| DOL when nipple feeding started | 1.12 (0.07)*** | 0.07 (0.08) |
| GA, when nipple feeding was started | −0.47 (1.35) | – |
| DOL of achieving full nipple feeding | 0.87 (0.05)*** | 0.19 (0.06)** |
| Daily weight gain (g) | 6.67 (13.15) | – |
| Intercept | – | 76.56 (16.69)*** |
Associations between clinical and nutrition supplementation variables and the length of hospitalization (LOH) via linear regression analysis_
| Variable | Univariate B (SE) | Multivariate B (SE) |
|---|---|---|
| Gestational age (weeks) | −8.84 (0.55)*** | −0.87 (0.77) |
| Birthweight (g) | −0.04 (0.003)*** | −0.02 (0.003)*** |
| Male gender | 3.27 (3.69) | – |
| Non-Caucasian ethnicity | 3.92 (3.89) | – |
| Apgar at five minutes of life | −4.99 (1.47)** | 1.10 (0.67) |
| Days on antibiotics | 32.39 (4.92)*** | 6.57 (2.89)* |
| Oxygen or positive pressure therapy | 24.99 (5.31) *** | −0.3 (2.65) |
| PDA | 23.87 (5.36) *** | −0.68 (2.51) |
| Colostrum intake | 12.26 (4.04) *** | 1.29 (1.90) |
| Maternal breast milk intake | 8.90 (4.50) * | −0.87 (2.04) |
| NPO days | 38.67 (5.17)*** | 1.07 (3.89) |
| Total days on intravenous fluid-nutrition | 48.63 (3.54)*** | 5.08 (4.44) |
| DOL gastric bolus feed started | 3.25 (0.81)*** | −0.33 (0.52) |
| DOL when nipple feeding was started | 1.37 (0.08)*** | 0.29 (0.12)* |
| GA when nipple feeding was started | −0.39 (1.57) | – |
| DOL when full nipple feeding achieved | 1.05 (0.05)*** | 0.38 (0.10)*** |
| Daily weight gain (g) | 16.09 (15.25) | – |
| Intercept | – | 60.07 (26.35)* |