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Effective suckle feeding is an integral part of successful development and demands efficient coordination of the rhythmic processes of suckle, swallow, and respiration. While it is clear that infants become more efficient suckle feeders over time, the precise strategy whereby greater feeding efficiency is achieved has not been studied. Accordingly, to determine which parameters of a feeding episode might be most useful in describing developmental changes in rhythmic suckle feeding, we studied 16 fullterm infants at 1-4 days of age and again at 4 weeks using simultaneous recording of pharyngeal and nipple pressures to assess suckle and swallow and nasal thermistor and thoracic strain gauge readings to assess respiration.
Conclusions: Feeding efficiency improves over the first month post-term by the increased aggregation of swallows into runs and by an increase in rhythmic swallow rate. Stability of swallow rhythm and avoidance of apneic runs is already established shortly after birth. Knowledge of normal maturational patterns of suckle feeding may allow earlier identification of variations in central bulbar regulation of feeding and of infants at risk of neurodevelopmental delay and feeding disorders.
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