Maternal Intravenous Fluids and Infant Weight
- Review factors affecting infant weight
- Describe factors that increase infant weight loss
- Discuss the effects of IV fluids on infant weight loss
Design: A retrospective chart review of medical records for 200 mother/infant dyads was used.
Setting: The study was conducted at a suburban Baby Friendly TM certified hospital in southwest Ohio.
Patients/Participants: Of the 518 records reviewed, 200 mothers and their infants were included in the study. Inclusion criteria were singleton infants with gestational ages of 37-42 weeks, and birthweights 2500-4000 grams. Exclusion conditions included maternal fever or diabetes, infant admission to Special Care Unit or phototherapy; incomplete or inconsistent chart information and other complications that impact maternal and infant health.
Methods: Data was extracted from 200 mother/infant dyads over a five month period. The dependent variable was infant weight loss, and the independent variable was the amount of maternal IV fluid during labor. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations, univariate and multivariate ordinary linear regression analyses, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Log transformations were calculated for average mL per minute which was not normally distributed.
Results: Infant weight loss ≥7% positively correlated with average mL per minute (r=0.80, p=0.0086). In multivariate analysis after adjusting for infant gender and maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), infant weight loss ≥7% positively correlated with average mL per minute (r=0.76, p=0.0116). Infant maximum weight loss positively correlated with average mL per minute (r=0.52, p=0.0245). In multivariate analysis after adjusting for infant gender and maternal BMI, infant maximum weight loss positively correlated with average mL per minute (r=0.62, p=0.0029).
Conclusion/Implications for nursing practice: Infant weight loss ≥7% and maximum weight loss during hospital admission positively correlated with average mL per minute. If a mother receives larger volumes of IV fluid during labor, health care providers may need to include this factor in their assessment of infant weight loss in the first few days of life.
Keywords: Infant Weight Loss, Maternal IV fluids during labor
