OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of nonnutritive sucking stimulation (NNS) on the age of introduction of oral feedings in preterm newborns (PTNB). METHODS: 95 PTNB with gestational age (GA) at birth < 33 weeks, born at the Nursery Annex to the Maternity of the Clinical Hospital of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil, were studied. They were distributed into the following groups: Group 1 (G1), control group, without a specific incentive for oral feedings; Group 2 (G2), stimulation of NNS with an orthodontic pacifier (Nuk®) for premature infants; and Group 3 (G3), stimulation of NNS with a gloved finger. RESULTS: The GA varied from 26 to 32.7 weeks (30.5±1.6), the corrected GA at the moment of enrollment in the study varied from 27.4 to 33 weeks (31.6 ±1.3), and the average birthweight was 1,390g, without statistic differences among groups. G2 and G3 NB with GA at enrollment <32 weeks started oral feeding earlier than the control group. G1 started oral feeding was 34 weeks of corrected GA. The lower the GA at enrollment, the lower the corrected GA for beginning of oral feeding among NB that received NNS stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Early NNS stimulation lowered the corrected GA at the introduction of oral feeding, contributing to the oral motor development and maturation of PTNB.
sucking behavior; infant, premature; feeding methods; child nutrition physiology
