Eating as a neurodevelopmental process for high-risk newborns.
Joy V Browne1, Erin Sundseth Ross
1JFK Partners Center for Family and Infant Interaction, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13121 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO USA. Joy.Browne@childrenscolorado.org
Clinics in Perinatology
|November 24, 2011
Summary
High-risk and preterm infants often struggle with feeding and growth due to hospitalization challenges. Successful infant feeding is a neurodevelopmental process requiring regulation of physiological and motor functions.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Infant feeding disorders
- Neurodevelopmental pediatrics
Background:
- High-risk and preterm infants frequently experience feeding difficulties in neonatal intensive care units and post-discharge.
- Hospitalization introduces environmental, procedural, and medical challenges impacting infant feeding skill development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the neurodevelopmental underpinnings of infant feeding.
- To identify factors contributing to feeding challenges in high-risk and preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Review of emerging data on infant feeding as a neurodevelopmental process.
- Analysis of factors influencing the organization of physiological processes, motor control, and arousal in infants.
Main Results:
- Infant feeding is increasingly recognized as a predictable neurodevelopmental process.
- Successful feeding relies on the infant's ability to integrate and regulate physiological functions, motor skills, and arousal states.
Conclusions:
- Understanding feeding as a neurodevelopmental process is crucial for addressing challenges in high-risk and preterm infants.
- Interventions should consider the infant's overall organization and regulation of systems for optimal feeding development.
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