Dataset Information

Factors contributing to preterm infant engagement during bottle-feeding.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Preterm infants have difficulty maintaining engagement throughout early oral feedings, which can lead to less efficient feeding and prolonged feeding skill development. OBJECTIVE:To examine contributions of the infant, mother, and feeding context to infant engagement during bottle-feeding. METHODS:Bottle-feedings of very-low-birthweight infants (n = 22) by their mothers were observed. Infant and maternal behaviors were coded and synchronized with physiologic measures. At completion of the feeding, the mothers were interviewed, and their working model of feeding coregulation was scored. Feedings were subdivided into feeding episodes (n = 114). Using multilevel linear regression analyses, four dyadic characteristics (working model of the caregiver's role as coregulator, birthweight, postconceptional age, baseline oxygen saturation) and five episode characteristics (readiness at episode onset, episode baseline oxygen saturation, mean oxygen saturation during the episode, maternal feeding behavior, and phase of feeding) were examined as potential predictors of feeding episode engagement. RESULTS:Conditions observed during the feeding observation explained most of the variation in engagement. Engagement was more likely to occur during the early phase of feeding (p <.05), during feeding episodes that began with infant readiness (p <.05), and during feeding episodes with higher mean oxygen saturation during the episode (p <.05). Feeding episodes with less jiggling of the nipple had a significantly greater amount of engagement (p <.05). CONCLUSIONS:The ability of the preterm infant to maintain engagement during bottle-feeding cannot be explained by characteristics of the infant or by the prefeeding condition of the infant alone. Rather, engagement is coregulated by the caregiver and the infant throughout the feeding. Strategies to assist infants in maintaining physiologic stability during bottle-feeding and further study of effective and contingent caregiver feeding behaviors are needed.

SUBMITTER: Thoyre SM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4336780 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Factors contributing to preterm infant engagement during bottle-feeding.

Thoyre Suzanne M SM Brown Roger L RL

Nursing research 20040901 5

<h4>Background</h4>Preterm infants have difficulty maintaining engagement throughout early oral feedings, which can lead to less efficient feeding and prolonged feeding skill development.<h4>Objective</h4>To examine contributions of the infant, mother, and feeding context to infant engagement during bottle-feeding.<h4>Methods</h4>Bottle-feedings of very-low-birthweight infants (n = 22) by their mothers were observed. Infant and maternal behaviors were coded and synchronized with physiologic meas ...[more]

PMID: 15385867

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAlthough the survival rate of very preterm infants has improved, rates of subsequent neurobehavioral disabilities remain high. One factor implicated in poor neurobehavioral and developmental outcomes is hospitalization and inconsistent caregiving patterns in the neonatal intensive care unit. Although much underlying brain damage occurs in utero or shortly after birth, neuroprotective strategies may stop progression of damage, particularly when these strategies are used during the most sensitive periods of neural plasticity 2-3 months before term age.ObjectiveThe purpose of this analysis was to test the effect of a patterned feeding experience involving a tactile component (touch and/or holding) provided during feedings on preterm infants' clinical outcomes, measured by oral feeding progress, as an early indicator of neurodevelopment.MethodsWe used an experimental, longitudinal, two-group random assignment design. Preterm infants (n = 120) were enrolled within the first week of life and randomized to an experimental group receiving a patterned feeding experience or to a control group receiving usual feeding care.ResultsAnalysis of data from 91 infants showed that infants receiving touch at more than 25% of early gavage feedings achieved full oral feeding more quickly; as touch exposure increased, time from first oral to full oral feeding decreased. There was no association between holding during early gavage feedings or touch during transition feedings and time to full oral feeding.DiscussionNeurological expectation during critical periods of development is important for infants. However, a preterm infant's environment is not predictable: Caregivers change regularly, medical procedures dictate touch and holding, and care provision based on infant cues is limited. Current knowledge supports caregiving that occurs with a naturally occurring sensation (i.e., hunger), is provided in a manner that is congruent with the expectation of the neurological system, and occurs with enough regularity to enhance neuronal and synaptic development. In this study, we modeled an experience infants would "expect" if they were not in the neonatal intensive care unit and demonstrated a shorter time from first oral feeding to full oral feeding, an important clinical outcome with neurodevelopmental implications. We recommend further research to determine the effect of patterned caregiving experiences on other areas of neurodevelopment, particularly those that may occur later in life.

Project description:Swallowing in mammals requires the precise coordination of multiple oropharyngeal structures, including the palatopharyngeal arch. During a typical swallow, the activity of the palatopharyngeus muscle produces pharyngeal shortening to assist in producing pressure required to swallow and may initiate epiglottal flipping to protect the airway. Most research on the role of the palatopharyngeal arch in swallowing has used pharyngeal manometry, which measures the relative pressures in the oropharynx, but does not quantify the movements of the structures involved in swallowing. In this study, we assessed palatopharyngeal arch and soft palate function by comparing their movements in a healthy population to a pathophysiological population longitudinally through infancy (term versus preterm pigs). In doing so, we test the impact of birth status, postnatal maturation, and their interaction on swallowing. We tracked the three-dimensional (3D) movements of radiopaque beads implanted into relevant anatomical structures and recorded feeding via biplanar high-speed videofluoroscopy. We then calculated the total 3D excursion of the arch and soft palate, the orientation of arch movement, and the timing of maximal arch constriction during each swallow. Soft palate excursion was greater in term infants at both 7 and 17 days postnatal, whereas arch excursion was largely unaffected by birth status. Maximal arch constriction occurred much earlier in preterm pigs relative to term pigs, a result that was consistent across age. There was no effect of postnatal age on arch or soft palate excursion. Preterm and term infants differed in their orientation of arch movement, which most likely reflects both differences in anatomy and differences in feeding posture. Our results suggest that the timing and coordination of oropharyngeal movements may be more important to feeding performance than the movements of isolated structures, and that differences in the neural control of swallowing and its maturation in preterm and term infants may explain preterm swallowing deficits.

Dataset Information

Factors contributing to preterm infant engagement during bottle-feeding.

Publications

Factors contributing to preterm infant engagement during bottle-feeding.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets