Effect of Nonnutritive Sucking on Oral Feeding in Neonates With Perinatal Asphyxia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The findings indicated that the NNS stimulation positively affected oral intake and early feeding skills in infants with perinatal asphyxia, as in preterms. However, NNS stimulation had no significant effect on discharge and weight gain in infants with asphyxia. This finding may be attributed to other factors. It is recommended to use NNS by an SLT in a neonatal intensive care unit within a multidisciplinary team to accelerate the transition to oral feeding and improve feeding skills in infants with perinatal asphyxia. Further studies on the effect of NNS stimulation in infants with perinatal asphyxia are needed to corroborate its effects on discharge time and weight gain.