Oral skills and breastfeeding performance of premature newborns hospitalized in a neonatal unit

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: to compare oral skills and functional breastfeeding performance at the time of speech-language-hearing assessment and tube removal in premature newborns admitted to a neonatal unit. Methods: a cross-sectional observational study in premature newborns without serious pathologies, admitted to the neonatal unit of a hospital of the Public Health System, from May to August 2022. Data were collected from the medical records, and premature newborns were assessed regarding the readiness for oral feeding, breastfeeding performance, and oral skill level at the time of assessment and tube removal. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare these measures at both moments, setting the significance level at 5%. Results: the study sample had 126 premature newborns with a mean weight of 1,937.2 g and a mean gestational age of 33.1 weeks. Both the breastfeeding performance score (from 6.5 to 8.2) and the oral skill level improved between the two moments, with more premature babies in level IV (the most mature), with a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.001). Conclusion: the breastfeeding performance and oral skill levels improved between the speech-language-hearing assessment and tube removal in hospitalized premature infants, indicating development in skills during this process.