The Impact of Positioning on Bottle-feeding in Preterm Infants (≤34 GA). a Comparative Study of The Semi-elevated and The Side-lying Position – a Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the advantages of semi-elevated and side-lying positioning during bottle-feeding of preterm infants ≤34 weeks gestational age (34+0/7). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included six neonates (n=6) bom ≤34 weeks gestational age who reached the age ≥32 weeks of postmenstrual age on the day when the study began and were hospitalized in the neonatology ward. Four bottle-feeding sessions were tested in each of the newborns: two in the side-lying and two in the semi-elevated position. The position for the first test was chosen randomly. For each of the positions twelve feeding sessions were examined and each preterm infant hod bottle-feeding sessions analyzed both in the semi-elevated and side-lying positions. The level of saturation and heart rate were measured as the parameters indicative of the newborn's physiological stability. The factors determining the qualitative aspect of feeding included the level of the newborn's alertness and the occurrence of choking episodes. The amount of food consumed and the duration of the feeding were also recorded. RESULTS: The side-lying position was more effective with regard to the totol amount of sustenance consumed as compared to the semi-elevated feeding position and the study result was statistically significant (p=0.007). The difference in the number of chokes between the study groups was not statistically significant, although a trend towards a reduced number of choking episodes was observed among infants fed in the side-lying position (p=0.090). There were no significant differences in oxygen saturation, heart rate and level of activity between the study groups. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of this pilot study demonstrate the efficacy of the side-lying feeding position regarding the final amount of milk intake. The side-lying position may also reduce the number of choking episodes during the feeding. The results suggest the need to extend the study in order to confirm the potential benefits of using the side-lying position.