Abstract
BackgroundParental obesity is highly predictive of child obesity, and preterm infants are at greater risk of obesity, but little is known about obese and non-obese mothers’ responsiveness to preterm infant cues during feeding. The relationship between maternal weight status and response to preterm infant behavioral cues during feeding at 6-weeks corrected age was examined.MethodsThis secondary analysis used data from a randomized clinical trial. Maternal weight was coded during a play session. Mother-infant interaction during feeding was coded using the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training Feeding Scale (NCAST). We used multivariate linear regressions to examine NCAST scores and multivariate logistic regressions for the two individual items, satiation cues and termination of feeding.ResultsOf the 139 mothers, 56 (40.3%) were obese, two underweight women were excluded. Obese mothers did not differ from overweight/normal weight mothers for overall NCAST scores, but they had higher scores on response to infant’s distress subscale (mean = 10.2 vs. 9.6, p = 0.01). The proportion of infants who exhibited satiation cues did not differ by maternal weight. Obese mothers were more likely than overweight/normal weight mothers to terminate the feeding when the infant showed satiation cues (82.1% vs. 66.3%, p = 0.04, adjusted OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 0.97, 5.48).ConclusionsLimitations include lack of BMI measures and small sample size. Additional research is needed about maternal weight status and whether it influences responsiveness to preterm infant satiation cues. Results highlight the need for educating all mothers of preterm infants regarding preterm infant cues.Trial registrationNCT02041923. Feeding and Transition to Home for Preterms at Social Risk (H-HOPE). Registered 15 January 2014.
Highlights
Parental obesity is highly predictive of child obesity, and preterm infants are at greater risk of obesity, but little is known about obese and non-obese mothers’ responsiveness to preterm infant cues during feeding
Preterm infants born before 32 weeks gestation do not yet have the capacity to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing, so their initial intake is through gavage feedings [10,11,12]
Mothers of preterm infants who have low income, lower education, and/or minority status, such as those in our sample, are at a greater risk than their higher income counterparts for poor mother-infant interaction and infant outcomes [24]. This is the first report of maternal weight status and its potential influence on preterm infant behavioral cues during feeding
Summary
Parental obesity is highly predictive of child obesity, and preterm infants are at greater risk of obesity, but little is known about obese and non-obese mothers’ responsiveness to preterm infant cues during feeding. Preterm infants born before 32 weeks gestation do not yet have the capacity to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing, so their initial intake is through gavage feedings [10,11,12]. They have unclear behavioral states and cues and are often in a drowsy state where they are likely to not be awake for feedings [10, 11, 13]. Their medical conditions delay their opportunities to learn the skills associated with new feeding modalities [2, 14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
