Feeding Patterns of Full-Term and Preterm Infants at Forty Weeks Postconceptional Age

TLDR

Research on feeding skill differences between preterm infants at term and full‑term infants is limited. This study quantified sucking ability differences between preterm infants at 40 weeks postconceptional age and full‑term newborns. The authors examined 213 infants in three gestational age groups using the Kron Nutritive Sucking Apparatus to assess sucking microstructure. Significant differences were found across groups in multiple sucking variables, underscoring the roles of birth maturation and experience in feeding behavior.

Abstract

Little research exists that addresses the differences in feeding skills between preterm (PT) infants at term and full-term (FT) infants. The purpose of this study was to quantify and examine the differences in sucking abilities of PT infants when measured at 40 weeks postconceptional age (PCA) and newly born FT infants. The sample consisted of 213 infants who were divided into three groups on the basis of their gestational age at birth (24–29 wk, 30–32 wk, and 38–42 wk). The Kron Nutritive Sucking Apparatus (KNSA) was used to examine the microstructure of sucking and feeding behaviors. There were significant differences among the three groups in several of the sucking variables: number of bursts (p = .005), intersuck interval (p = .0212), sucks per burst (p = .0003), suck width (p < .0001), intersuck width (p < .0001), mean maximum pressure (p < .0001), and intersuck width/interburst width (p = .02). The findings from this study demonstrate the importance of both maturation at birth and experience as factors influencing feeding behaviors.