Development of feeding skills in preterm infants: a critical literature review

Abstract

Infants born prematurely have problems in developing feeding skills due to their immaturity. To describe this, a critical review of national and international literature was carried out from May to September 2016. The information was reviewed from Scielo, Pubmed and Cochrane, and also specialized journals using the following key words: "Feeding development preterm", "feeding skills preterm infants", "feeding transition preterm", "lumpy food babies", "solid food preterm", "transition solid food infant", "preterm children weaning food", "solids in preterm infants", also searched in Spanish and Portuguese. Publications were included if they shared similar purpose as the present revision, and published in the last 5 years, encompassing articles of systematic literature review or researches which studied preterm children aged between 0 and 10. Studies showed that transition food started earlier in preterm infants, who also showed more feeding problems. It is necessary to have common criteria in terms of assessment methodologies in order to be able to characterize this group in a better way. Parents of preterm infants would benefit from advise and information about developing eating skills, resulting in earlier intervention and management of feeding and eating problems. Keywords: Infant, Premature; Supplementary Feeding; Assessment RESUMEN Debido a la inmadurez que presentan los lactantes prematuros, el desarrollo de habilidades de alimentación se ve interferido. Mediante la revisión sistemática de la literatura internacional y nacional se intentó describir este proceso. Se realizó una búsqueda entre mayo y septiembre del 2016 en Scielo, Pubmed y Cochrame y revistas especializadas utilizando los descriptores: "Feeding development preterm", "feeding skills preterm infants", "feeding transition preterm", "lumpy food babies", "solid food preterm", "transition solid food infant", "preterm children weaning food", "solids in preterm infants", tanto en español como en portugués. Se consideraron publicaciones que tuvieran directa relación con el objetivo de esta revisión realizadas en los últimos 5 años, artículos de revisión sistemática de la literatura o investigaciones experimentales cuyo objeto de estudio fueran niños prematuros entre 0 y 10 años. Las investigaciones mostraron que la incorporación de consistencias es más temprana en niños prematuros que de término y que presentan mayores dificultades de alimentación. Se requiere aunar criterios en cuanto a metodologías de evaluación para poder caracterizar a este grupo de mejor manera. Padres y cuidadores de prematuros requieren manejar información completa en relación a la alimentación complementaria para que esta sea exitosa, logrando una pesquisa oportuna y un adecuado manejo.

Effect of Right Position During and After Feeding on Gastric Residual Volume and Regurgitation Episodes Among Preterm Infants

“…Preterm infants exhibits reduced digestive and absorptive capacities, prolonged gastric emptying times compared with the term neonate due to the anatomic and functional limitations of nervous and digestive system (Poquet & Wooster, 2016). Consequently, the development of the preterm infants is affected the feeding process due to an impaired suck swallow mechanism (Gallardo, Contreras & Keith, 2017). So preterm infants must be fed by gavage until achievement adequate oral feeding skills (Lau, 2016).…”

“…Gastric emptying depends on a variety of factors such as type and volume of milk, physical condition and preterm infants' position as the proper position is one of the nurses' main tasks, and doing it perfectly needs more reliable evidences and clues (Gallardo, Contreras & Keith, 2017). Inability to digest enteral feedings presented as gastric residual volumes greater than 50% of previous feeding, abdominal distension or emesis (Mohamed and Ahmed, 2018).…”