Abstract 697

Human milk lowers the rate of infections in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in the special care nursery. Whether human milk continues to protect these vulnerable infants after hospital discharge has not been previously studied. Thirty VLBW infants (birth weight <1500gms) have been enrolled to date in a prospective study examining the effect of human milk on the rate of upper respiratory infections in early infancy. Twenty infants received human milk and 10 received only formula. All mothers are given a daily calendar on which they record any signs and symptoms of infection. Calendar information is collected at one month post discharge during a home visit and again at three months corrected age.

Results are shown: (Table)

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There were no differences in parental tobacco use, number of siblings or attendance at day care between the groups. Multiple regression analysis was done with independent variables maternal age, SES and breast feeding versus formula as predictors of the number of days of infections and results confirmed human milk feeding as the only independent predictor of decreased symptoms of URI, (R=0.5;p<0.025). We conclude that continued feeding of VLBW infants with human milk after hospital discharge reduces the infection rate in these high risk infants. Programs to encourage breast feeding in the SCN and after hospital discharge should be enthusiastically supported.