Poor feeding and feeding intolerance in the neonate — case

Case summary

A 12-day-old infant born at 27 weeks' gestation, weighing 920 g, is on the neonatal unit on advancing expressed breast milk feeds at 120 mL/kg/day. Over the shift, the pre-feed gastric residual has risen to exceed the feed volume and is bile-stained, the abdomen has become fuller, and the infant has had three apnoeic spells requiring stimulation. The nursing staff are concerned. [1] [2]