Infant formula
Infant formula ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is caring for a 9-month-old infant who has diarrhea and dehydration due to gastroenteritis.
The infant’s mother asks if she can continue to feed her baby with liquid concentrate formula diluted with water.
How should the nurse respond?
Diluted formula is not recommended for infants with diarrhea and dehydration, and oral rehydration solution (ORS) should be given in addition to, not instead of, breast milk or formula.
Oral rehydration solution alone is not sufficient to meet the infant’s nutritional needs and may lead to weight loss and malnutrition. ORS should be used to correct fluid and electrolyte losses, but not as the sole source of hydration.
Adding sugar and salt to diluted formula is dangerous and can cause serious complications such as hypernatremia, hyponatremia, hyperglycemia, or cerebral edema. ORS has a specific concentration of sugar and electrolytes that has been shown to increase the absorption of fluid and electrolytes in the gut.
The nurse should advise the mother to stop feeding her baby with diluted formula and switch to undiluted formula or breast milk. This is because diluted formula does not provide enough calories and nutrients for the infant and may worsen the dehydration by increasing the osmotic load in the gut. Undiluted formula or breast milk can help maintain the infant’s nutrition and hydration status while also providing some protection against infection.
The nurse should advise the mother to stop feeding her baby with diluted formula and switch to undiluted formula or breast milk. This is because diluted formula does not provide enough calories and nutrients for the infant and may worsen the dehydration by increasing the osmotic load in the gut. Undiluted formula or breast milk can help maintain the infant’s nutrition and hydration status while also providing some protection against infection.
Choice A is wrong because diluted formula is not recommended for infants with diarrhea and dehydration, and oral rehydration solution (ORS) should be given in addition to, not instead of, breast milk or formula.
Choice B is wrong because oral rehydration solution alone is not sufficient to meet the infant’s nutritional needs and may lead to weight loss and malnutrition. ORS should be used to correct fluid and electrolyte losses, but not as the sole source of hydration.
Choice C is wrong because adding sugar and salt to diluted formula is dangerous and can cause serious complications such as hypernatremia, hyponatremia, hyperglycemia, or cerebral edema. ORS has a specific concentration of sugar and electrolytes that has been shown to increase the absorption of fluid and electrolytes in the gut.
