Time to Initiate Trophic Feeding and Its Predictors Among Preterm Infants at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND

Early enteral feeding initiation for preterm neonates is a vital part of neonatal intervention for overall outcomes. There are few dates. We aimed to assess the time to enteral feeding initiation and its associated factor among preterm newborns admitted to the University of Gondar.

METHOD: An institutional-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted from August 8, 2024, to December 30, 2024.

RESULT: A total of 144 preterm newborns were followed for about 6452 person-hours of observation. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 240 hours. Out of 144 preterm newborns, 51 (35.42%) initiated enteral feeding early within the first 24 hours. Variable that affects trophic feeding initiation were gestational age, small for gestational age, and presence of jaundice were significant and independent predictors of early initiation.

CONCLUSION

The rate of early trophic feeding initiation was low in our institution.