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This article presents the findings of a study comparing the effects of early total enteral feeding (ETEF) and incremental feeding (IF) in small-for-gestational-age very low birth weight infants. The study found that ETEF resulted in a shorter duration of hospital stay, faster achievement of full enteral feeds and birth weight, and a lower incidence of late onset sepsis and feed intolerance. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis between the two feeding methods. The study suggests that ETEF may be a beneficial approach for improving outcomes in these infants. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To compare the effect of two strategies of breast pumping -power pumping (PP) vs. routine pumping (RP) over one week in mothers of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with low milk output to improve breastfeeding rates at discharge., Methods: Mothers with low milk output, defined as inability to express sufficient breastmilk to meet the feeding requirements of their infant on or after post-natal day 14, were randomized to receive power pumping vs. routine pumping - once daily for 7 d coupled with routine lactation support and hand expression 3 hourly in both groups. The primary outcome was exclusive breastfeeding at discharge., Results: There was no difference in the two pumping strategies with respect to exclusive breastfeeding rates [61.1% in PP vs. 50% in RP group; (p = 0.477, RR 1.2; 95% CI 0.76 to 2.17)]. Median milk volume pumped in the individual power pumping session on 7th day of intervention was significantly higher than that in the individual routine pumping session on the 7th day (50 mL vs. 27 mL, p = 0.014). The cumulative median milk volume expressed per individual pumping session over the 7 sessions of power pumping was also higher than that with routine pumping (305 mL vs. 213 mL, p = 0.054)., Conclusions: In this pilot trial, expressed milk volume was significantly higher after each individual power pumping session compared to routine pumping. However, the exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge were similar in the two groups., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation.)