Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part B (2025)

Preterm infants require specialized care due to their high-risk status. Maternal factors such as age, education, and medical history significantly influence outcomes like feeding and thermoregulation. In African contexts, mothers aged 23-32 and those with prior preterm experience show better outcomes. Hypertensive mothers are linked to poorer thermoregulation in infants. Descriptive cohort study design was used and 79 preterm babies. Data was collected using administered structured questionnaire, a checklist, and growth monitoring tools. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26.0 and descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, and standard deviations were used to summarize the data, while binary logistic regression was applied to identify associations between independent and dependent variables. Most preterm infants were male (53.2%), moderately to late preterm (57%), and had low birth weight. Over 60% were feeding-incompetent, while 75.9% maintained thermoregulation. Maternal age (23-32 years) and prior preterm birth were significantly associated with feeding competence. Thermoregulation competence was linked to the absence of maternal medical conditions and fewer previous preterm births. Higher maternal education and lack of medical conditions unexpectedly correlated with increased infant readmission, suggesting possible disparities in postnatal care.  This study found most preterm infants had low birth weight and suboptimal Apgar scores. While 60.8% had feeding issues, 75.9% maintained body temperature. Maternal age, prior preterm births, and medical history influenced outcomes. Higher maternal education and absence of maternal illness unexpectedly correlated with increased infant readmissions, suggesting care disparities.