Click on this secure  link: Hill et la (2020) Bottle Feeding preterm Infant first 7 months of life

Those of you in Early Intervention and in the NICU will find this new paper just published a valuable addition to your research base for practice.

Hill, R. R., Park, J., & Pados, B. F. (2020). Bottle-Feeding Challenges in Preterm-Born Infants in the First 7 Months of Life. Global Pediatric Health, 7, 2333794X20952688

It reinforces some of the key factors that may lead to enduring feeding problems after the NICU. It may be helpful for your neonatology team, as its findings suggests that watchful vigilance both in the NICU by the SLP, and indeed after discharge by our colleagues in Early Intervention,  should be a part of the plan of care for our at risk infants and their families. Perhaps this early provision of infant-guided support may in the long run avoid the onset of feeding aversions that can arise from stressful feeding experiences.

Quoting their conclusions:

Very preterm infants (i.e., those born <32 weeks GA at birth) had significantly more symptoms of problematic bottle-feeding than infants born full-term, moderately preterm or late preterm. Factors such as BPD (Chronic Lung Disease), GER, and congenital anomalies of the face, mouth and gastrointestinal tract were significant contributors. Early difficulty with breastfeeding was also a risk factor for later difficulties with bottle-feeding. There was improvement in symptoms with increasing age, which is likely reflection of improvement of medical factors and infant maturation. These findings support the need for frequent assessment of feeding in preterm-born infants after NICU discharge and provides clinicians with information regarding particular medical factors that place infant at risk for feeding difficulty beyond the NICU. The identification of infants who are struggling with bottle-feeding may facilitate interventions within the primary care setting or referral to feeding experts to improve longer outcomes and decrease the likelihood of negative sequelae that could persist into late childhood.