THE CONTEXT
Daily fluid prescriptions for low-birth-weight infants differ by weight group and increase during the first week of life.
Infants weighing below 1500 g
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Very-low-birth-weight infants below 1500 g need about 80 mL/kg of fluids on the first day.
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Increase fluids by 10–15 mL/kg/day to reach 150 mL/kg/day by the end of the first week.
Low-birth-weight infants weighing above 1500 g
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Give about 60 mL/kg of fluids on the first day.
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Increase fluids by about 15–20 mL/kg/day to a maximum of 150 mL/kg/day by the end of the first week.
Calculating individual feeds
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Calculate the volume of one feed by dividing the total fluid volume for 24 hours by the number of feeds planned during that period.