Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing Commons^™

Effect Of The Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention On Feeding Progression And Length Of Stay In Preterm Infants, Brenda Lessen

Brenda S. Lessen

Purpose: Preterm infants frequently experience oral feeding difficulties due to underdeveloped oral motor skills and the lack of coordination of sucking, swallowing, and respiration. The infants’ ability to consume all feedings orally while maintaining physiologic stability and weight gain is necessary for their discharge. Therefore, difficulty with oral feeding leads to longer hospital stays and higher costs. For example, with more than half a million of premature infants born each year, a 3-day decrease in hospital stay would save more than 2 billion dollars annually. There is a need for evidenced-based interventions that facilitate development of oral-motor skills, leading to …