Oral Entrainment on Suck Development of Preterm Infants Born 23 to 34 Weeks Gestational Age (GA)

The development of sucking behaviors in preterm infants is thought to reflect neurobehavioral maturation and organization. From a clinical perspective, the ability to feed depends upon a coordinated sucking, swallowing and breathing pattern. In preterm infants less than 32 weeks gestation, this ability is not usually effective enough to sustain full oral feeds. In the interim, infants are fed by gavage tube until they are mature enough to take milk directly from the breast or bottle (Pinelli, Symington, 2005). Non-nutritive sucking has been used during gavage feeding and in the transition from gavage to breast/bottle feeding. The rationale for this intervention is that non-nutritive sucking facilitates the development of sucking behavior and improves digestion of enteral feeds.