Oral Support Is Effective to Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding in Infants Born Small for Gestational Age

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AIM: This study evaluated if oral support with techniques to support the infant's jaw to promote sucking could improve the exclusive breastfeeding rate in full-term infants born small-for-gestational-age (SGA). METHODS: This was an observational study with a prospective cohort and a historical control. SGA infants born in 2023-2024 who received oral support were compared to those born in 2020-2021 who did not. The primary outcome was the exclusive breastfeeding rate at 7-10 days of life. Secondary outcomes were the exclusive breastfeeding rate at discharge, the maximum weight loss, the time to regain birthweight, the occurrence of transient and/or persistent hypoglycaemia and the length of hospitalisation. RESULTS: We analysed 146 infants: 73 received oral support and 73 did not. Infants who received oral support had an exclusive breastfeeding rate when returning to the hospital at day 7-10 that was significantly higher than infants who did not (54.8% vs. 37.0%, p = 0.03). Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, at a median (interquartile range) age of 3 (2-4) days, was similar between groups. No differences were found in the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Oral support appeared useful in promoting exclusive breastfeeding in full-term SGA infants. Further research could assess if the intervention maintained exclusive breastfeeding over time.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.