Feeding LBW Infants in a Resource-Poor Environment

The incidence of Low Birth Weight (LBW) is significantly higher in developing than first-world countries. In resource-poor environments, LBW infants born to women with serious antenatal risk factors are often delivered at hospitals ill-equipped to appropriately care for these infants. In this presentation, Kirsten described a triage system implemented in the labour ward of Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Midwives are the gatekeepers of this triage system, which streamlines LBW infants into feeding intervention groups. Associated feeding interventions for LBW infants in each group were described. The important role of community clinics in subsequent follow-up of these infants was highlighted.