Pediatric Nutrition

This study is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effects of high-calorie diets and specialized nutritional formulas on weight gain and clinical outcomes in underweight children aged 1 to 5 years with congenital heart disease (CHD). Children with CHD often experience growth failure due to increased energy needs and feeding difficulties, which can negatively impact their recovery, development, and overall health. Seventy-five children will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group receiving a standard diet, a group receiving a high-calorie diet made from energy-dense foods, and a third group receiving both the high-calorie diet and a specialized high-calorie pediatric formula. The study will measure changes in weight, appetite, feeding tolerance, and other growth indicators over an 8-week period. The goal is to determine whether enhanced nutritional support can improve weight gain and health outcomes in this high-risk population.

This is a study of how accurate different methods to assess young children's dietary intake are, so that researchers and health professionals can better understand how children's nutrition relates to their health. The study will compare food surveys, measurements of nutrients in the blood, and optical measurements of nutrients in the skin.

The investigators want to learn how women's diets may impact breastfeeding outcomes. This study will help the investigators learn more about how diet and social factors like food access may impact mothers' health, breastfeeding, and their baby's health. Participants will attend a visit before birth, then 11 visits as their baby grows up. All visits will be remote using RedCap, phone or video call, text messaging or any other communication modalities of preference to the participant. The investigators will ask for personal information about participants' family, home, and finances, health literacy, medical history, current medications, pregnancy complications, mental health (depression, quality of life), confidence in breastfeeding, eating habits, and plan to feed their baby. After childbirth, the investigators will ask about participants' delivery and child's health, and request access to their child's medical records. Across all visits, the investigators will ask participants to measure their weight, height, blood pressure, activity and sleep, and child's length; the investigators will also ask them to ship urine, stool, and breast milk samples. The investigators will obtain a 24-hour feeding log for the child, as well as a log of what the mother ate and drank over 24 hours.