Maternal Intravenous Fluids and Infant Weight

Abstract

Healthcare providers typically use an infant’s weight loss in the first days of life as a measurement of effective feeding. Additional feeding volumes are often recommended when the infant reaches weight loss of seven to ten percent of their birth weight. This study examined the relationship of the amount of maternal intravenous fluids (IV) given during labor, and infant maximum weight loss during hospital admission. The method was a retrospective cross-sectional review of medical records for 186 healthy mothers and their infants who delivered at a Baby Friendly™ certified hospital in southwest Ohio. Maternal average IV mL per hour positively correlated with infant maximum weight loss.