Growth Velocity and Breastfeeding Rates Among Preterm Infants Following Hospital Discharge in Turkiye: A Quantitative, Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Survey

Objective

This study aimed to determine exclusive and partial breastfeeding rates at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge and during the post-discharge period, evaluate the timing of complementary feeding, assess the proportion of mothers receiving breastfeeding education before discharge, and examine whether daily weight gain (≥15 g/day) in the first month after discharge differed according to breastfeeding across gestational age groups. Materials and Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional survey included 422 preterm infants born at 23+6-36+6 weeks of gestation who were discharged as healthy from tertiary-level NICUs in multiple cities in Türkiye between March and November 2022. Data were collected through online and in-person surveys. After excluding two cases, 420 infants were analyzed.