Early versus Late Feeding of Infants of Diabetic Mothers

FOR the past several years the usual plan of feeding of infants of diabetic mothers in the Joslin Clinic group delivered at the Boston Lying-in Hospital has been to start with a glucose-and-water solution on the third day.1 Parenteral feedings were rarely if ever used, and in infants with symptoms of respiratory distress, oral feedings were frequently postponed for seventy-two or even ninety-six hours. However, Reardon et al.2 have advocated earlier feedings starting at two to twelve hours of age and consisting of 0.45 per cent sodium chloride in five per cent glucose solution to be given at a rate . . .