New dietary recommendations for preterm babies - CBS46 News

New dietary recommendations for preterm babies

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The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its first dietary recommendations for vitamin D and calcium for preterm babies.

The group recommends giving preterm babies high, daily doses of both while they are in the hospital and after they are discharged.

Preterm infants have different mineral requirements from full-term newborns. Because of this, pediatricians recommend preterm babies be given 200 to 400 IU's of vitamin D daily.

Pediatricians also recommend preterm babies, especially those with multiple medical problems or who weigh under three and a half pounds, be given calcium and phosphorus supplements to strengthen their bones and decrease the chance they will develop rickets.

Read the who report from the American Academy of Pediatrics here.


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