Hello Nancy, I have been following this discussion with interest.

THis afternoon you posted:

" The basis is simply that we have no other basis!
When we look at outcomes of premies we need to look at more than "successful
breastfeeding": optimal growth (the ONLY standard we have is in utero growth
curves), optimal development, a lack of feeding-related morbidities. Weight
is NOT a criteria for discharge. Infants can be discharged at any weight as
long as they can feed well enough (by whatever method) to gain weight
consistently, maintain their own body temperature in an open crib, and
remember to breathe."

I hear what you are saying about intrauterine growth rates being the only
standard we have available to match preemies to.  We can only use the
knowledge we have.

That very fact makes me wonder, though, whether in fact matching intrauterine
growth curves correlates with healthy, appropriate-weight-and-everything-else
kids later in childhood.  Or more to the point I guess, whether premies
failing to match fetal rates actually correlates with poor outcomes.

Has anybody done that research?  If it does match, as seems likely, it would
be helpful (and persuasive to some) to know it, and if not then we'd know
something else.

Do you know -- or does anyone else know -- whether any researchers are
looking at this?

thanks -- Elisheva Urbas, NYC

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