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The effect of feeding experience on clinical outcomes in preterm infants

R H Pickler1, A Best, D Crosson

  • 1School of Nursing, Family and Community Health Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0567, USA. rpickler@vcu.edu

Journal of Perinatology : Official Journal of the California Perinatal Association
|October 3, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Oral feeding experience in preterm infants significantly impacts clinical outcomes. Greater feeding experience leads to faster achievement of full oral feedings and shorter hospital stays, regardless of illness severity.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Preterm infants often face challenges with oral feeding.
  • Early feeding experiences can influence developmental trajectories.
  • Optimizing feeding strategies is crucial for neonatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between oral feeding experience and clinical outcomes in preterm infants.
  • To determine if feeding experience affects the time to achieve full oral feedings.
  • To assess the impact of feeding experience on length of hospital stay.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal, non-experimental study involving 92 preterm infants.
  • Daily data collection on infant maturity, weight, and oral feeding experience.
  • Assessment of overall infant morbidity to control for confounding factors.

Main Results:

  • Oral feeding experience and infant morbidity were significant predictors of the time to full oral feedings.
  • Feeding experience and gestational maturity at the initiation of oral feeding predicted length of stay post-feeding.
  • Infant feeding experience did not significantly affect weight gain during the study period.

Conclusions:

  • Enhanced oral feeding experience may expedite the transition to full oral feedings in preterm infants.
  • Feeding experience appears to be a key factor in reducing length of stay, independent of illness severity.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the clinical benefits of focused feeding interventions in neonates.
Abstract

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