The effect of giving hindmilk on increasing the weight of low birth weight babies

Introduction. Low birth weight (LBW) are babies who have a risk of malnutrition, namely wasting and stunting. Breastfeeding results in less than optimal weight gain due to high LBW energy requirements but the tolerance of volume is limited. Hindmilk is breastmilk that has high energy and fat content. Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hindmilk on increasing the weight of LBW babies. Method. This research is a prospective study with observation case series design. This observation used secondary data conducted by the researcher while on duty in the Perinatal ward of Dr Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta Indonesia in April-November 2016 and also in November 2017. Results. The results of the observations were 12 LBW babies with a weight of 994-1660 grams and stated that the average weight gain was 33.98 grams/day. The increasing weight when the babies were given hindmilk was 10 grams/day at the minimum and 74 grams/day at the maximum. Meanwhile, the weight loss happened when they were given mixed breastmilk was around 10-72 grams/day with an average of 18.2 grams. The major substances of hindmilk that can increase the LBW’s weight are very long chain fatty acids, arachinoid acid(ARA), docosahexanoic acid (DHA) (22:6n-3), derivatives of linoleic and linolenic acids. Conclusion. MCO exacerbates the food accessibility problem in food-insecure HD patients.