Randomised oral stimulation and exclusive breastfeeding duration in healthy premature infants

Abstract

Aim Although exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for all newborn in the first 6 months of life, only 13% of Danish premature infants complies with this. This trial aimed to examine whether oral stimulation prolonged exclusive breastfeeding in premature infants. Method A randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark between 2016 and 2018. Systematic oral stimulation was performed by the parents after training by occupational therapists. Primary outcome was exclusive breastfeeding duration with 6 months' follow‐up, analysed by intention‐to‐treat. Results Included were 211 infants (53% boys) with a mean gestational age of 231 days, allocated in ratio 1:1 to oral stimulation or standard care. There was no difference in exclusive breastfeeding duration between infants orally stimulated and control infants. Thus, for orally stimulated infants, median duration was 122 days (interquartile range 40‐183) in contrast to 154 days (interquartile range 61‐183) for the controls, P value .16. At 6 months of age, 27% of orally stimulated infants were exclusively breastfed compared with 25% of controls. Conclusion In healthy premature infants, oral stimulation performed by parents has no long‐lasting effect on breastfeeding duration. Attention should be directed to parental education and involvement.

Randomised controlled trial to compare the effect of PIOMI (structured) and routine oromotor (unstructured) stimulation in improving readiness for oral feeding in preterm neonates

“…Sasmal et al ( 8 ) observed higher breastfeeding rates with PIOMI at 1 month after discharge. Skaaning et al ( 9 ) evaluated the effect of a parent-administered PIOMI-based oral motor stimulation method. Both studies, however, could not establish a significant impact on exclusive breastfeeding with PIOMI.…”

Effects of Oral Stimulation and Supplemental Nursing System on the Transition Time to Full Breast of Mother and Sucking Success in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Pimenta et al (2008) found that 27% of the babies in their experimental group (non-nutritional sucking and OMS) and 10% of the babies in the control group continued to suck after 6 months. On the contrary, some studies showed that oral stimulation does not affect maintaining breastfeeding (Skaaning et al, 2020). The differences between studies may be due to the gestational week of the preterm babies sampled, as the infant’s contribution to the breastfeeding process depends on maturity, muscle strength, and neonatal reflexes.…”

From Expressing Human Milk to Breastfeeding—An Essential Element in the Journey to Motherhood of Mothers of Prematurely Born Infants

“…The present qualitative study recruited participants among cohorts in a randomized control trial (RCT), titled “Breastfeeding duration in premature infants. Influence of oral stimulation intervention, the infant's suction and maternal concerns.” The RCT study included 174 mothers of 211 infants and showed no effect of oral stimulation on exclusive breastfeeding 6 month after discharge 28. The study was approved by the Danish Committees on Health Research Ethics (ID 60112) and registered at the Danish Data Protection Board (ID AHH-2015-106) and ClinicalTrials.gov (ID NCT02952950).…”