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Neonatal sucking behaviour and its development until 14 months
Insights
Neonatal sucking behavior shows significant development from birth to 14 months. Key changes include tongue movement patterns and nipple interaction, with most development occurring by the third month.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Biology
- Infant Nutrition
Background:
- Sucking is a critical infant reflex for feeding and development.
- Understanding the developmental trajectory of sucking behavior is essential for assessing infant health.
- Previous research has not fully detailed the dynamic changes in sucking mechanics over the first year.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the developmental changes in infant sucking behavior from birth to 14 months.
- To identify specific kinematic and morphological alterations in sucking patterns over time.
- To establish a normative developmental course for sucking mechanics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel fiberscope-supported holder for filming neonatal sucking.
- Observed 57 low-risk, full-term infants longitudinally from birth to 14 months.
- Analyzed video recordings to quantify changes in tongue peristalsis, cavity depth, and nipple wrapping.
Main Results:
- Neonatal sucking exhibits a distinct bell shape from tongue peristalsis, decreasing significantly by 10 months.
- Tongue-induced cavity depth increases until 8 months, then declines.
- Tongue root wrapping of the nipple weakens progressively, diminishing by 6 months.
- Transition from neonatal to older infant sucking patterns typically occurs around the third month, with individual variations.
Conclusions:
- Infant sucking behavior undergoes a distinct developmental progression during the first year of life.
- Specific kinematic changes in tongue movement and nipple interaction characterize this development.
- The third month is a critical period for the transition in sucking patterns, indicating significant neurodevelopmental maturation.
Abstract:
A fiberscope supported by a holder, devised by one of the authors, was used to film neonatal sucking behaviour and its development from birth to 14 months of life. The subjects were 57 low-risk full term infants. Present observations detect a developmental course of the sucking behaviour. The main changes are: (a) the bell shape produced by the peristaltic tongue movements is quite high in the neonatal period, decreases in height considerably during the third month and almost disappears by the tenth month of life. (b) The depth of the cavity produced by the peristaltic tongue movements increases from the third month until the eighth month and decreases after this time, (c) The wrapping by the root of the tongue at the tip of the nipple gradually weakens during the first month and almost disappears around the sixth month of life. (d) The neonatal pattern disappears and the pattern for older infants appears in one sucking episode in the same infant during the second and third month after birth. There are individual differences in the period of actual change but it usually appears during the third month.