Abstract
Objective: Determine the feeding and the breastfeeding index of very low birth weight infants at the time of hospital discharge and six months after birth. Method: All the preterm infants that weighed less than 1500 grams at birth and were discharged from hospital between the 1st of February and the 31st of July 2008 were evaluated. Based on the analysis of medical records, a form was filled in containing information regarding the mother and feeding procedures during hospitalization and at the time of discharge. After 6 months of chronological age, the parents or tutors were questioned about the feeding of the infant. Result: 35 very low birth weight preterm infants were evaluated. All of which were submitted to enteral feeding with breast milk at the average age of 5, 3 days. The average age for initiate breastfeeding was 18, 8 days. At the time of discharge, 26 infants (74, 2%) were under mixed feeding, 6 (17, 1%) were under exclusively natural breastfeeding and 3 (8, 5%) were under artificial feeding. Six months after birth, the index of breastfeeding was 30, 7% and only 3, 8% of the infants were exclusively breastfed by their own mothers. Conclusion: All the very low birth weight preterm infants initiated enteral feeding with breast milk and at the time of hospital discharge was observed a high index of breastfed babies. Six months after birth, only a third of the very low birth weight preterm infants were being naturally breastfed, which suggests the necessity of implementing strategies that promote, defend and encourage natural breastfeeding even after hospital discharge.