Premature birth and its complications are major challenges for global healthcare. An estimated 5.3 million children under five years of age died in 2018, and complications from preterm birth accounted for 18% of these deaths. 1 There are an estimated 15 million babies born prematurely each year, comprising 11% of all births (range 5%-18%). 2 In 65 countries with reliable data, there has been an increase in premature births over the past two decades.Preterm infants have a higher mortality rate than term infants, not just in the neonatal period, but also during the first year of life. This ratio is inversely proportional to gestational age and birth weight. Although survival rates have improved considerably in recent years, these infants remain vulnerable because of the complications of prematurity, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, hearing and vision problems and poor growth and neurodevelopmental compromise. The high incidence of neural injury highlights the need for postnatal strategies and interventions to support maturation of their neural system and therefore their neurodevelopment.Providing adequate nutrition for growth and development is fundamental for the care of premature infants. Early postpartum nutrition has a significant impact on outcomes, including growth, body
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