scholarly journals Bottle-Feeding Challenges in Preterm-Born Infants in the First 7 Months of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 2333794X2095268
Author(s):  
Rebecca R. Hill ◽  
Jinhee Park ◽  
Britt F. Pados

Preterm infants frequently experience oral feeding challenges while in the neonatal intensive care unit, with research focusing on infant feeding during this hospital stay. There is little data on symptoms of problematic feeding in preterm-born infants in the months after discharge. The purpose of this study was to describe symptoms of problematic bottle-feeding in the first 7 months of life in infants born preterm, compared to full-term infants. Parents of infants less than 7 months old completed an online survey that included the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool—Bottle-feeding and questions about the infant’s medical and feeding history. General linear models were used to evaluate differences in NeoEAT—Bottle-feeding total score and subscale scores by preterm category, considering other significant factors. Very preterm infants had more symptoms of problematic bottle-feeding than other infants. Current age, presence of gastroesophageal reflux, and anomalies of the face/mouth were associated with problematic bottle-feeding.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt F. Pados

AbstractChildren with CHD often experience difficulty with oral feeding, which contributes to growth faltering in this population. Few studies have explored symptoms of problematic feeding in children with CHD using valid and reliable measures of oral feeding. The purpose of this study was to describe symptoms of problematic feeding in children with CHD compared to healthy children without medical conditions, taking into account variables that may contribute to symptoms of problematic feeding. Oral feeding was measured by the Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool, a parent report assessment of feeding with evidence of validity and reliability. This secondary analysis used data collected from web-based surveys completed by parents of 1093 children between 6 months and 7 years of age who were eating solid foods by mouth. General linear models were used to evaluate the differences between 94 children with CHD and 999 children without medical conditions based on the Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool total score and four subscale scores. Covariates tested in the models included breathing tube duration, type of CHD, gastroesophageal reflux, genetic disorder, difficulty with breast- or bottle-feeding during infancy, cardiac surgery, and current child age. Children with CHD had significantly more symptoms of problematic feeding than healthy children on the Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool total score, more physiologic symptoms, problematic mealtime behaviours, selective/restrictive eating, and oral processing dysfunction (p <0.001 for all), when taking into account relevant covariates. Additional research is needed in children with CHD to improve risk assessment and develop interventions to optimise feeding and growth.


Author(s):  
Ju Sun Heo ◽  
Ee-Kyung Kim ◽  
Sae Yun Kim ◽  
In Gyu Song ◽  
Young Mi Yoon ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of direct swallowing training (DST) alone and combined with oral sensorimotor stimulation (OSMS) on oral feeding ability in very preterm infants.DesignBlinded, parallel group, randomised controlled trial (1:1:1).SettingNeonatal intensive care unit of a South Korean tertiary hospital.ParticipantsPreterm infants born at <32 weeks of gestation who achieved full tube feeding.InterventionsTwo sessions per day were provided according to the randomly assigned groups (control: two times per day sham intervention; DST: DST and sham interventions, each once a day; DST+OSMS: DST and OSMS interventions, each once a day).Primary outcomeTime from start to independent oral feeding (IOF).ResultsAnalyses were conducted in 186 participants based on modified intention-to-treat (63 control; 63 DST; 60 DST+OSMS). The mean time from start to IOF differed significantly between the control, DST and DST+OSMS groups (21.1, 17.2 and 14.8 days, respectively, p=0.02). Compared with non-intervention, DST+OSMS significantly shortened the time from start to IOF (effect size: −0.49; 95% CI: −0.86 to –0.14; p=0.02), whereas DST did not. The proportion of feeding volume taken during the initial 5 min, an index of infants’ actual feeding ability when fatigue is minimal, increased earlier in the DST+OSMS than in the DST.ConclusionsIn very preterm infants, DST+OSMS led to the accelerated attainment of IOF compared with non-intervention, whereas DST alone did not. The effect of DST+OSMS on oral feeding ability appeared earlier than that of DST alone.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT02508571).


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (14) ◽  
pp. 1394-1398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srirupa Gopal ◽  
Kathryn Edwards ◽  
Buddy Creech ◽  
Joern-Hendrik Weitkamp

Introduction The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend the same immunization schedule for preterm and term infants. However, significant delays in vaccination of premature infants have been reported. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the variability of immunization practices in preterm infants. Study Design We conducted an online survey of 2,443 neonatologists in the United States, who are members of the Section for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine of the AAP. Questions were targeted at immunization practices in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Results Of the 420 responses (17%) received, 55% of providers administer the first vaccine at >2-month chronological age. Most providers (83%) surveyed reported delaying vaccines in the setting of clinical illness. Sixty percent reported increasing frequency of apnea–bradycardia events following immunization. More than half administer the initial vaccines over several days despite lack of supporting data. Reported considerations in delaying or spreading out 2-month vaccines were clinical instability, provider preference, lower gestational age, and lower birth weight. Conclusion This survey substantiates the variability of immunizations practices in the NICU and identifies reasons for this variability. Future studies should inform better practice guidance for immunization of preterm NICU patients based on vaccine safety and effectiveness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2333794X2110370
Author(s):  
Sphiwe Madiba ◽  
Malmsey Sengane

To receive human milk, most preterm infants initially receive the mothers’ expressed milk through a nasogastric tube. However, breast milk feeding the preterm infant and making the transition to direct breast-feeding come with significant challenges. The study explored and described the experiences of mothers of preterm infants regarding initiation and expressing breast milk, tube feeding practices, and transition to breastfeeding during the infants’ stay in a kangaroo care unit (KMC) of an academic hospital in South Africa. Using a qualitative design, focus group interviews were conducted with 38 mothers of preterm infants after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We analyzed transcripts following the 5 steps for qualitative thematic data analysis. Tube feeding and breastfeeding preterm infants was challenging and exhausting for the mothers. Many described their experiences of initiating expression and sustaining milk supply as negative. They had constant concerns about their ability to produce adequate milk volumes to feed their infants. They had immense dislike of expressing, which they described as physically exhausting, stressful, and painful. Those who had initiated breastfeeding were highly motivated to breastfeed their preterm infants. They described breastfeeding as a positive bonding experience that they derived pleasure from. The mothers’ dislike of expressing was overshadowed by their emotional obligation toward their preterm infants. Although the KMC unit promotes breastfeeding, mothers encountered problems and struggled to initiate expression and sustain milk production. Mothers of extreme and very preterm infants need support to continue with milk expression during the long NICU and KMC stay.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104
Author(s):  
Dilek Küçük Alemdar ◽  
Sevil İnal

Background: Preterm infants are vulnerable humans requiring much care and attention. They may be exposed to irregular noise, light, and odor in the neonatal intensive care unit for a period of several weeks or months. This study was carried out to determine the effect of individualized developmental care on physiological parameters, growth, and transition to oral feeding in preterm infants. Methods: The study was a randomized controlled trial. The sample comprised premature infants meeting the inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned to four groups: the maternal voice group, the breast milk odor (BMO) group, the incubator cover (IC) group, and the control group. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of weight, height, and head circumference at time of discharge. Mean SO2 values were statistically higher in the IC group than the other groups; however, the heart rate and respiratory rate were not statistically different in a significant sense between the groups. The briefest duration of transition to total oral feeding was seen in the BMO group. Conclusion: Individualized developmental care practices based on the results of these interventions are likely to support the care of preterm infants. Breast milk odor may ease the transition to breastfeeding.


2017 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 1563-1570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sotirios Fouzas ◽  
Ilias Theodorakopoulos ◽  
Edgar Delgado-Eckert ◽  
Philipp Latzin ◽  
Urs Frey

The concept of diffusional screening implies that breath-to-breath variations in CO2 clearance, when related to the variability of breathing, may contain information on the quality and utilization of the available alveolar surface. We explored the validity of the above hypothesis in a cohort of young infants of comparable postmenstrual age but born at different stages of lung maturity, namely, in term-born infants ( n = 128), preterm-born infants without chronic lung disease of infancy (CLDI; n = 53), and preterm infants with moderate/severe CLDI ( n = 87). Exhaled CO2 volume (VE,CO2) and concentration (FE,CO2) were determined by volumetric capnography, whereas their variance was assessed by linear and nonlinear variability metrics. The relationship between relative breath-to-breath change of VE,CO2 (ΔVE,CO2) and the corresponding change of tidal volume (ΔVT) was also analyzed. Nonlinear FE,CO2 variability was lower in CLDI compared with term and non-CLDI preterm group ( P < 0.001 for both comparisons). In CLDI infants, most of the VE,CO2 variability was attributed to the variability of VT ( r2 = 0.749), whereas in term and healthy preterm infants this relationship was weaker ( r2 = 0.507 and 0.630, respectively). The ΔVE,CO2 − ΔVT slope was less steep in the CLDI group (1.06 ± 0.07) compared with non-CLDI preterm (1.16 ± 0.07; P < 0.001) and term infants (1.20 ± 0.10; P < 0.001), suggesting that the more dysmature the infant lung, the less efficiently it eliminates CO2 under tidal breathing conditions. We conclude that the temporal variation of CO2 clearance may be related to the degree of lung dysmaturity in early infancy. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Young infants exhibit appreciable breath-to-breath CO2 variability that can be quantified by nonlinear variability metrics and may reflect the degree of lung dysmaturity. In infants with moderate/severe chronic lung disease of infancy (CLDI), the variability of the exhaled CO2 is mainly driven by the variability of breathing, whereas in term-born and healthy preterm infants this relationship is less strong. The slope of the relative CO2-to-volume change is less steep in CLDI infants, suggesting that dysmature lungs are less efficient in eliminating CO2 under tidal breathing conditions.


Author(s):  
Ruth E. Grunau ◽  
Jillian Vinall Miller ◽  
Cecil M. Y. Chau

The long-term effects of infant pain are complex, and vary depending on how early in life the exposure occurs, due to differences in developmental maturity of specific systems underway. Changes to later pain sensitivity reflect multiple factors such as age at pain stimulation, extent of tissue damage, type of noxious insult, intensity, and duration. In both full-term and preterm infants exposed to hospitalization, sequelae of early pain are confounded by parental separation and quality of pain treatment. Neonates born very preterm are outside the protective uterine environment, with repeated exposure to pain occurring during fetal life. Especially for infants born in the late second trimester, the cascade of autonomic, hormonal, and inflammatory responses to procedures may induce excitotoxicity with widespread effects on the brain. Quantitative advanced imaging techniques have revealed that neonatal pain in very preterm infants is associated with altered brain development during the neonatal period and beyond. Recent studies now provide evidence of pathways reflecting mechanisms that may underlie the emerging association between cumulative procedural pain exposure and neurodevelopment and behavior in children born very preterm. Owing to immaturity of the central nervous system, repetitive pain in very preterm neonates contributes to alterations in multiple aspects of development. Importantly, there is strong evidence that parental caregiving to reduce pain and stress in preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) may prevent adverse effects, and sensitive parenting after NICU discharge may help ameliorate potential long-term effects.


Hematology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (1) ◽  
pp. 506-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Sola-Visner

Abstract Thrombocytopenia is a common problem among sick neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Frequently, platelet transfusions are given to thrombocytopenic infants in an attempt to decrease the incidence or severity of hemorrhage, which is often intracranial. Whereas there is very limited evidence to guide platelet transfusion practices in this population, preterm infants in the first week of life (the highest risk period for bleeding) are nearly universally transfused at higher platelet counts than older infants or children. To a large extent, this practice has been influenced by the observation that neonatal platelets are hyporeactive in response to multiple agonists in vitro, although full-term infants exhibit normal to increased primary hemostasis. This apparently paradoxical finding is due to factors in the neonatal blood that enhance the platelet-vessel wall interaction and counteract the platelet hyporeactivity. Relatively few studies have evaluated the platelet function and primary hemostasis of preterm infants, the subset of neonates at highest risk of bleeding and those most frequently transfused. Current understanding of platelet production and function in preterm and full-term neonates, how these factors affect their response to thrombocytopenia and their primary hemostasis, and the implications of these developmental differences to transfusion medicine are reviewed herein.


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