title: Ontogeny of stool passage in low birth weight infants < or = 1500 grams.
abstract: The onset of stool passage, timing of transition to yellow stools and the pattern of stooling frequency over the first 4 weeks were studied in infants < 1500 g at birth. The time of passage of the first stool (median, 19) correlated with birth weight and gestational age but not with presence or severity of respiratory distress; fourteen percent passed stool after 1st 48 hours. Transition to yellow occurred at 17.6 +/- 6.4 days and was related to the onset of feeding and birth weight. Stooling frequency was similar in Wk 2 as Wk 1, increased in Wk 3 and plateaued on Wk 4. Volume of feeding/day increased each week over that of preceding week but stooling frequency was not related to the increased volume or any of the other variables.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Cook County Hospital, Chicago Medical School, Illinois 60612.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ajayi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oak
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Pildes
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D003672:Defecation / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn