Gastrointestinal Tolerance of Formula-Fed Infants During the Immediate Postnatal Period in Saudi Arabia: An Observational Study

Objective. Feeding intolerance during the early postnatal period can be distressing for families. To assess this, infants (n = 150) of mothers who had previously decided to exclusively or partially formula feed were enrolled ≤24 hours after birth. Methods. Infants were fed with a single ready-to-feed, 100% partially hydrolyzed whey protein-based formula until discharge, in accordance with standard hospital practice. Parents recorded daily the presence/severity of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms/behaviors, rated from 0 (never) to 5 (always). A validated questionnaire was completed at discharge to evaluate symptoms of GI discomfort; scores can range from 0 to ~140 (lower scores indicate fewer symptoms). Results. Mean ± SD daily scores ranged from 0.12 ± 0.40 (fussiness/irritability) to 1.26 ± 0.90 (spitting up), indicating that GI symptoms/behaviors occurred, on average, "never" or "almost never." Mean GI discomfort scores were also very low (9.9 ± 7.4). Conclusion. These results indicate that the ready-to-feed formula was very well accepted and well tolerated during this period among healthy newborns in Saudi Arabia.