The Incubator

#386 - 🟢 HOT TOPICS 2025 COVERAGE - Can We Safely Give Full Feeds from Day One to Moderate Preterm Infants?

Ben Courchia & Daphna Yasova Barbeau

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Dr. Shalini Ojha, Professor of Neonatal Medicine at University of Nottingham, presents the Feed One trial examining full enteral feeding (60 mL/kg/day) from day one versus gradual advancement in 30-32 week infants. While the primary outcome of hospital length of stay showed no difference (median 32 days), full feeding significantly reduced parenteral nutrition use, IV cannulations, and associated interventions without increasing necrotizing enterocolitis risk (4 versus 6 cases). This pragmatic trial challenges the unfounded fear that early full feeding causes NEC—demonstrating that moderate preterm infants can safely receive complete enteral nutrition from birth, simplifying care particularly in resource-limited settings while avoiding complications from IV access and parenteral nutrition.

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