Intervention time until discharge for newborns on transition from gavage to exclusive oral feeding

Abstract

Purpose: Measure the intervention time required for transition from gavage to exclusive oral feeding, comparing newborns exposed exclusively to the mother's breast with those who, in addition to breastfeeding, received supplementation using a cup or baby bottle. Methods: Analytical, longitudinal, cohort study conducted with 165 newborns (NB) divided into groups according to severity of medical complications (G1-with no complications; G2-with significant complications), and into subgroups according to feeding mechanism (A and B). All NBs were low birth weight, on Kangaroo Mother Care, and breast stimulated according to medical prescription and hospital routine. Regarding feeding pattern, subgroup A comprised NBs exclusively breastfed at hospital discharge, whereas subgroup B was composed of NBs fed through cup/bottle at some time during hospitalization. The number of days spent in each stage of transition was recorded for each NB. Results: History of clinical complications significantly influenced total intervention time. Study participants in subgroups G1-A (10 days), G1-B (9 days), and G2-A (12 days) displayed greater chances of early discharge compared with those in subgroup G2-B (16 days). Conclusion: NBs with no important history of clinical complications displayed greater chances of early hospital discharge. NBs with significant history of clinical complications that underwent gavage to exclusive breastfeeding transition presented smaller intervention time than those that required supplementation using cup/bottle. Feeding transition using the gavage-to-exclusive oral feeding technique is recommended for Speech-language Pathology practice in Neonatology.