Characterization of the transition to oral feeding in premature newborns.
Jaianne Lourdes Furtado Costa, Ana Paula Sabino de Medeiros Neves, Juliana Dantas de Araújo Santos Camargo and 1 others
PMID 35475849WHAT IT FOUND
Very premature newborns took longer to transition to oral feeding than late or moderate preterm infants.
However, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was similar across all groups. The breast-probe technique was the most common method used during this transition.
Key findings
01Very premature newborns had a significantly longer transition to oral feeding compared to late preterm newborns.
02The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was similar between late, moderate, and very premature groups.
03The breast-probe technique was the most frequently used method to support the transition to oral feeding.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study excluded infants with significant neurological, cardiac, or respiratory complications, so results may not apply to more medically complex premature newborns. The study was conducted in a single center with a specific 'Friends of the Children' initiative, which strongly promotes breastfeeding; results may not generalize to units with different feeding policies or lower breastfeeding support. The sample size was small (52 infants), particularly within the specific prematurity subgroups.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that very premature infants cannot achieve exclusive breastfeeding at discharge. Although they took longer to transition to oral feeding, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was similar to that of late preterm infants in this study.