Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition. Given the documented short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding, infant nutrition should be considered a public health issue and not only a lifestyle choice. The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months, ...

BACKGROUND Absence of cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses limits the relevance of large-scale nutrition interventions in low-income countries. We analyzed if the effect of invitation to food supplementation early in pregnancy combined with multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) on infant survival represented value for money compared to invitation to food supplementation at usual time in pregnanc...

To systematically review the association between maternal nutritional status in pregnancy and infant immune response to childhood vaccines. We reviewed literature on maternal nutrition during pregnancy, fetal immune system and vaccines and possible relationships. Thereafter, we undertook a systematic review of the literature of maternal nutritional status and infant vaccine response, extracted ...

A percutaneously placed central catheter (PICC) (Vygon premicath 28G, 1Fr, Germany) was inserted into the central venous system of a preterm infant born after 26 weeks of gestation for routine parenteral nutrition. A plain anteroposterior chest X-ray for verifying correct catheter placement erroneously showed the catheter tip to be located safely outside the heart silhouette [Panel A]. Injectio...

The positive effects of exclusive breastfeeding on infant health are increasingly demonstrated by medical researchers, yet the majority of mothers worldwide do not conform with infant feeding recommendations published by the World Health Organisation. This article considers the implications of cultural variability in breastfeeding in both nutritional and non-nutritional contexts. It is argued t...

Parenteral nutrition-associated metabolic bone disease in children is manifested primarily as osteopenia and, on occasion, fractures. The etiology is likely multifactorial, with calcium and phosphate deficiency playing a major role in the preterm infant and with the role of aluminum toxicity yet to be clearly defined in this population. Lack of normal values of bone histomorphometry in the prem...

Infant feeding guidelines regarding the introduction of solid foods are generally not well known in Canada. The guidelines recommend that solid foods be introduced between four to six months of age, depending on the developmental readiness of the infant. In order to understand the underlying factors and patterns which contribute to the introduction of solid foods in infants, data were analyzed ...

Foods intended specifically for infants and young children are considered under European community law and are defined in specific commission directives. In principal, these directives conclude that such foods must be safe, have a special composition, be distinguishable from normal foods, be suitable for fulfilling particular nutritional requirements, and should, when marketed, indicate such su...

Breastfeeding is important for the health and development of both mother and child and provides optimal infant nutrition. Nipple pain and trauma as complications associated with breastfeeding are considered amongst the most significant factors impacting on breastfeeding in the first weeks of motherhood.2 The degree of nipple pain ranges from an uncomfortable feeling to severe pain, which is ass...

It is universally accepted that breast milk is the optimum exclusive source of nutrition for the first six months of life, and may remain part of the healthy infant diet for the first two years of life and beyond. Despite advances in infant formulas, human breast milk provides a bioactive matrix of benefits that cannot be replicated by any other source of nutrition. When the mother's own milk i...