ABSTRACT
Objective. To investigate the effects of a prefeeding oral stimulation program on the feeding performance of preterm infants. Methods. A crossover design was used. Nineteen preterm infants who were in the transitional time to full oral feeding served as their own controls. A 5-min oral stimulation program was applied to infants prior to feeding in two of 4 feedings on two consecutive days. Feeding, behavioral state, and physiological parameters of infants in the intervention and control feeding conditions were compared using SPSS software. Results. There were two significant findings: (1) Compared to the control condition, infants in the intervention condition achieved a greater intake rate in the initial 5 min of the feeding (P = 0.021). (2) After receiving oral stimulation, a higher percentage of infants moved to the drowsy or quiet alert state from sleep or restlessness before feeding, both on Day 1 (P= 0.016) as well as Day 2 (P = 0.016). No significant differences were found in other feeding parameters, feeding-induced physiological changes (peripheral oxygen saturation levels and pulse rate) and behavioral states between two feeding conditions. Conclusions. Oral stimulation had a modulating effect on the prefeeding behavioral states and short-lived beneficial effects on the feeding efficiency of preterm infants.