A Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Very Preterm Infants.

Objective: To reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) among very preterm infants in the Calgary Health Region to ≤2% within 2 years.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team developed key drivers for NEC. Targeted interventions included strategies to increase mothers' own milk (MOM), improve compliance with feeding regimens, standardize management of feeding intolerance, prevent intestinal microbial aberrations, and feed conservatively during blood transfusion and the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus.

Hindmilk as a Rescue Therapy in Very Preterm Infants with Suboptimal Growth Velocity.

Despite advances in neonatal nutrition, very preterm infants remain at increased risk of extrauterine growth faltering. This prospective study aimed to examine the effect of hindmilk, the milk at the end of a breast expression session, on growth and plasma fatty acids (FAs) of infants born <30 weeks' gestation who had been on full enteral feeds for ≥2 weeks and had a weight gain of <15 g/kg/day despite optimizing energy and protein intakes. Weight and plasma FAs were assessed before and two weeks after feeding hindmilk.

Combining Evidence-Based Interventions to Support Mental Health in Neonatal Intensive Care Families.

Families of infants requiring admission and care within the NICU experience a multitude of overwhelming stressors and challenges related to the severity and duration of their infant's illness and their unique life circumstances. These stressful experiences, traumas, and challenges can have long-term physical, emotional, financial, and psychological consequences for both the infant admitted to the NICU and their family. Combining evidence-based research and practices, family-centered care, enhanced multidisciplinary collaboration and communication, and mental health education into a multifaceted evidence-based mental health intervention will create opportunities for improved parental role attainment and infant attachment.

Rates and Determinants of Mother's Own Milk Feeding in Infants Born Very Preterm.

Objectives: To examine rates and determinants of mother's own milk (MOM) feeding at hospital discharge in a cohort of infants born very preterm within the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN).

Study Design: This was a population-based cohort study of infants born at <33 weeks of gestation and admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) participating in the CNN between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018. We examined the rates and determinants of MOM use at discharge home among the participating NICUs.