The Effect of Frequency of Sucking Stimulation with Emptied Breast on Breastfeeding Behaviors in Preterm Infants

Abstract

Emptied breast-sucking stimulation is the 6th step in the 10-step process to promote breastfeeding in sick infants. This involves the mother expressing or pumping milk to empty the breast, followed by allowing the infant to suckle on the emptied breast. This stimulation can be introduced after the removal of the ventilator, regardless of gestational age,postnatal age,or weight of the infant.Preterm infants often experience difficulties with sucking and swallowing due to a lack of coordination between breathing, sucking, and swallowing,putting them at risk of choking on milk. Emptied breast-sucking stimulation helps strengthen the muscles in the mouth and allows the infant to learn and become accustomed to breastfeeding.This way promotes breastfeeding behaviors and reduces the transition period from tube feeding to breastfeeding. It also helps stimulate the secretion of hormones and enzymes that aidinthe digestion and absorption of nutrients and empower the mother to actively participate in stimulating the infant’s sucking and swallowing, while also helping increase breast milk production.This quasi-experimental research aimed to investigate the effectof the frequency of the sucking stimulation with emptied breasts on breastfeeding behaviors among preterm infants by comparing the breastfeeding behaviors between the preterm infants receiving emptied breast-sucking stimulation once a day and those receiving emptied breast-sucking stimulation twiceaday. The samples included 44 dyads of mothers and preterm infants receiving treatment at the Pediatric Ward 2, Nakhonphanom Hospital, recruited by a purposive sampling method according to the inclusion criteria. The first group of 22 preterm infants received emptied breast-sucking stimulation once a day and another group of 22 preterm infants received emptied breast-sucking stimulation twice a day, for 10 minutes each time for seven consecutive days.The Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale (PIBBS) was employed to assess the breastfeeding behaviors of preterm infants once they started breastfeeding for the first time.Data were analyzed using an independent t-test. The results showed that the breastfeeding behavior scores of the preterm infants receiving emptied breast-sucking stimulation once a day was 12.86 (SD= 1.52)and twice a day was 13.31 (SD= 2.27). However,the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(t = 0.78,p>.05). Therefore,nurses caring for preterm infants should advise mothers to stimulate their infants’sucking performance by emptied breast-sucking at least once a day 10 minutes each, for seven days to help prepare preterm infants for breastfeeding  and enhance the preterm infants’ breastfeeding behaviors.
Keywords: Breastfeeding behaviors, Emptied breast sucking, Preterm infants, Sucking stimulation