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Effects of oral stimulation with breast milk in preterm infants oral feeding: a randomized clinical trial

Qiong Le1, Sheng-Hua Zheng2, Lan Zhang1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China.

Journal of Perinatal Medicine
|December 26, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Oral stimulation with breast milk significantly shortens the time to initiate oral feeding and improves non-nutritive sucking in preterm infants. However, it does not reduce hospital stay or speed the transition to full oral feeding.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Pediatric nutrition
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm infants often face challenges with oral feeding initiation and progression.
  • Non-nutritive sucking (NNS) is crucial for developing oral feeding skills in neonates.
  • Early oral stimulation interventions aim to improve feeding outcomes in vulnerable infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of oral stimulation with breast milk in preterm infants.
  • To compare the effects of breast milk oral stimulation against a standard oral motor intervention and a control group.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 68 preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit.
  • Three groups were established: control, premature infant oral motor intervention (PIOMI), and PIOMI with breast milk (BM-PIOMI).
  • Outcomes assessed included initiation of oral feeding (IOF), transition to full oral feeding (FOF), length of hospital stay (LOS), and NNS scores.

Main Results:

  • The BM-PIOMI group demonstrated significantly shorter IOF time compared to both PIOMI and control groups.
  • Transition time from IOF to FOF was significantly shorter in the BM-PIOMI group versus the control group, but not the PIOMI group.
  • NNS scores were significantly improved in the BM-PIOMI group compared to both control and PIOMI groups.
  • No significant differences in length of hospital stay were observed among the three groups.

Conclusions:

  • Oral stimulation with breast milk is more effective than simple oral stimulation in promoting oral feeding initiation and improving early NNS in preterm infants.
  • Breast milk oral stimulation does not significantly shorten the time to full oral feeding or reduce length of hospital stay.
  • These findings suggest a beneficial role for breast milk in optimizing oral feeding development for preterm neonates.
Abstract

Keywords:
breast milkinitiation of oral feedingnon-nutritive sucking (NNS) scoreoral stimulationpreterm infants

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