Role of Hindmilk in Weight Gain of Preterm Low- Birth-Weight Neonates: A Prospective Comparative Study

Background The significance of low birth weight cannot be overstated when considering the mortality rates during the perinatal and neonatal stages. Babies who were born premature, especially those with extremely low birth weights, have significant health challenges and require adequate feeding to grow and develop well. Specifically, hindmilk is rich in essential nutrients for neonate growth and development. This study aims to evaluate how hindmilk impacts the weight gain and anthropometry (specifically occipitofrontal circumference and length) of preterm low-birth-weight neonates. Methods A prospective comparative study was conducted on 148 preterm low-birth-weight neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital in Vijayapura, part of Northern Karnataka. Informed consent was taken and scrutinized by the Institutional Review Board of BLDE University (approval number: BLDE(DU)/IEC/653/2022-23). The neonates were categorized as Group 1, which received hindmilk, or Group 2, which received composite milk based on the computer-generated block randomization list by the investigator. Weight gain and anthropometry were measured and analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 20 (IBM Corp., Released 2011; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0; Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) at the end of the study. Results Group 1 neonates exhibited significantly higher mean values for weight at discharge (1664.22 +/- 328.9 grams vs. 1542.33 +/- 369.24 grams, p = 0.03), head circumference (31.72 +/- 2.52 centimeters (cm) vs. 30.76 +/- 4.01 cm, p = 0.04), and length (44.10 +/- 2.84 cm vs. 42.23 +/- 3.76 cm, p = 0.00) compared to Group 2. Conclusion To enhance the growth outcomes of low-birth-weight preterm neonates, selective hindmilk feeding is highly recommended. Hence, it should be adopted in neonatal care to optimize growth and development.