Changes in Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants 2 Weeks After Hospital Discharge

The purpose of this analysis was to measure changes in preterm infant feeding skill between discharge and two weeks post-discharge. Data were from 2 samples—22 preterm infants who participated in a non-experimental study of feeding readiness and 63 preterm infants who participated in a study of four oral feeding approaches. Both studies were approved by the institutional review board; parents gave informed consent. The Early Feeding Skills Assessment was used to measure feeding skills. Data were analyzed descriptively and by analysis of variance and regression. Analysis revealed that feeding skills changed selectively from discharge to post-discharge and that discharge skills were predictive of post-discharge skill. Changes that occur in feeding skills during the immediate post-discharge period have received little attention from researchers. The findings suggest that enhanced predischarge assessment and parent teaching maybe necessary to reduce reported parental stress associated with feeding the newly discharged infant and to promote a positive feeding experience.