Jun 26, 2008 - Attainment of early feeding milestones in preterm neonates. P Dodrill1,2, T Donovan3, G Cleghorn1,2, S McMahon1 and PSW Davies1,2.
Journal of Perinatology (2008) 28, 549–555 r 2008 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved. 0743-8346/08 $30 www.nature.com/jp
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Attainment of early feeding milestones in preterm neonates P Dodrill1,2, T Donovan3, G Cleghorn1,2, S McMahon1 and PSW Davies1,2 1
Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Qld, Australia; 2Children’s Nutrition Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Qld, Australia and 3Division of Neonatology, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Qld, Australia
Objective: This study aimed to document the ages at which preterm neonates commence suckle-feeds and attain exclusive suckle-feeding, as well as the time taken to transition from commencement of suckle-feeds to exclusive suckle-feeding. It was hypothesized that gestational age (GA) at birth and degree of neonatal morbidity would influence the timing of these early feeding milestones.
Study Design: A chart review was conducted for all neonates born