Feeding the low birth weight infant You may know that some children are born low in body weight. A baby weighing less than . kgs at birth is considered as low birth weight. The problems facing such babies are that they have poor sucking and swallowing reflexes.
Their absorption capacity is also very low because of the small size of their stomachs and intestines, but they have a relatively high calorie requirement. Breast milk produced by their mothers has all the essential amino acids, calories, fat and sodium content. It meets all their requirements. Anti-microbial property of their mother’s milk protects them from infections.
So, undoubtedly, mother’s milk is the best food for low birth weight babies. Simultaneously, they require vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and iron to promote steady growth. Dietary supplements should be considered only if the baby does not gain weight satisfactorily.