non-nutritive-suck-parameters-measurements-using-custom-pressure

Non-Nutritive Suck Parameters Measurements Using a Custom Pressure Transducer System

The non-nutritive suck (NNS) device is a transportable, user-friendly pressure transducer system that quantifies infants' NNS behavior on a pacifier. ...

Northeastern University

The goal of this study was to compare how infants' non-nutritive suck (NNS) changes throughout a suck sample. Fifty-four full-term infants (57% male) completed this study at, on average, 3.03 (SD .31) months of age. These infants sucked on our custom research pacifier for approximately five minutes. Infants produced, on average, 14.50 suck bursts during the sample. NNS data was pooled across subjects and breakpoint analyses were completed to determine if there were changes in their NNS patterning. Breakpoints were evident for NNS cycles per burst at burst numbers 18 and 34, and for amplitude (cmH20) at burst numbers 18 and 29. No breakpoints were present for NNS frequency. Infants exhibit changes in their suck physiology across burst number. When assessing suck, developmental specialists should observe more than one suck burst to attain a more valid and appropriate scope of the infant's suck ability.

Changes in infant non-nutritive sucking throughout a suck sample at 3-months of age.

Non-nutritive suck (NNS) is one piece of the complex oral feeding process, yet there is paucity on how it develops throughout the first year of life.

Changes in non-nutritive suck between 3 and 12 months.

Infant non-nutritive suck (NNS), or sucking on a pacifier with no nutrients being delivered, has been used as in index of brain function and has been linked to subsequent neurodevelopment. Yet, no data are available connecting NNS to environmental exposures in utero. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between gestational exposure to phthalates (a group of chemicals found in personal care products, PVC plastics, and other products) and NNS among infants in a birth cohort study in Puerto Rico.

Associations of gestational phthalate exposure and non-nutritive suck among infants from the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) birth cohort study.

Air pollution has been shown to impact multiple measures of neurodevelopment in young children. Its effects on particularly vulnerable populations, such as ethnic minorities, however, is less studied. To address this gap in the literature, we assess the associations between infant non-nutritive suck (NNS), an early indicator of central nervous system integrity, and air pollution exposures in Puerto Rico. Among infants aged 0-3 months enrolled in the Center for Research on Early Childhood Exposure and Development (CRECE) cohort from 2017 to 2019, we examined associations between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and its components on infant NNS in Puerto Rico. NNS was assessed using a pacifier attached to a pressure transducer, allowing for real-time visualization of NNS amplitude, frequency, duration, cycles/burst, cycles/min and bursts/min. These data were linked to 9-month average prenatal concentrations of PM and components, measured at three community monitoring sites. We used linear regression to examine the PM-NNS association in single pollutant models, controlling for infant sex, maternal age, gestational age, and season of birth in base and additionally for household smoke exposure, age at testing, and NNS duration in full models. Among 198 infants, the average NNS amplitude and burst duration was 17.1 cmHO and 6.1 s, respectively. Decreased NNS amplitude was consistently and significantly associated with 9-month average exposure to sulfur (-1.026 ± 0.507), zinc (-1.091 ± 0.503), copper (-1.096 ± 0.535) vanadium (-1.157 ± 0.537), and nickel (-1.530 ± 0.501). Decrements in NNS frequency were associated with sulfur exposure (0.036 ± 0.018), but not other examined PM components. Our findings provide new evidence that prenatal maternal exposure to specific PM components are associated with impaired neurodevelopment in Puerto Rican infants soon after birth.

Non-nutritive suck and airborne metal exposures among Puerto Rican infants.

This study examined the relationship between prenatal maternal stress (PREMS) and non-nutritive suck (NNS) and tested its robustness across 2 demographically diverse populations.

Examining the association between prenatal maternal stress and infant non-nutritive suck.

The post-partum period is a vulnerable time for mothers in terms of eating disorder symptoms and is critical for the establishment of feeding patterns in infants. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between maternal eating disorder symptoms and objective indices of feeding regulation at 3 months, as well as perceived breastfeeding self-efficacy.

Correlation between maternal eating disorder and early infant feeding regulation: a cross -sectional study.

The goal of this prospective study was to identify effects of birth order on breastfeeding self-efficacy, parental-report of infant feeding behaviors, infant non-nutritive sucking and oral feeding skills in full-term infants at 3-months. Mothers were separated into primipara and multipara groups, and infants were grouped into siblings and no siblings groups. Parents completed the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, and Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool-Breastfeeding and Bottle-feeding scales. Non-nutritive sucking was assessed using a custom research pacifier and researchers completed the Oral Feeding Skills scale to assess feeding performance. Fifty-six mother-infant dyads (55% male) were included. Primipara mothers reported significantly lower breastfeeding self-efficacy and more feeding problems across breast and bottle-feeds on the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool. There were no significant differences in non-nutritive sucking or oral feeding skills between infant groups. First-time mothers require more infant feeding support as they exhibited lower breastfeeding self-efficacy and reported more problematic feeding behaviors.

Birth Order Effects on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Parent Report of Problematic Feeding and Infant Feeding Abilities.

Prior data has shown that the home environment impacts child development; however, there remains a paucity of research on how the home environment relates to child and adult words. Therefore, the aim of this prospective and quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the home environment and the quantity of vocalizations or words, and conversational turns produced by infants and parents at 3 and 12 months of age.

The home environment and its relation to vocalizations in the first year of life.

The home environment and caregiver interactions have an impact on infant development. However, there is a paucity of research surrounding the home environment and its relation to early feeding outcomes within the first year of life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the home environment and infant bottle feeding outcomes at 3 and 12 months of age.

The home environment and its relation to bottle feeding outcomes in the first year of life.

The aim of this study was to examine associations between parent reports of bottle-feeding behaviors and infant non-nutritive suck (NNS) on a pacifier as well as oral feeding skills during bottle-feeding. A prospective study was conducted. Full-term infants with no prior diagnosed feeding disorders were recruited at 3-months. Parents reported their infant's bottle-feeding behaviors using the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool-Bottle-Feeding (NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding), consisting of five domains: Infant Regulation, Energy and Physiologic Stability, Gastrointestinal Tract Function, Sensory Responsiveness, and Compelling Symptoms of Problematic Feeding. Infant NNS was measured using a custom pacifier, pressure transducer device, which yields the following NNS variables: duration (sec), frequency (Hz), amplitude (cmH0), cycles per burst, cycle amount, and burst amount. The Oral Feeding Skills (OFS) scale was used to measure the initial volume, transfer volume, proficiency, and rate of milk transfer during bottle feeding. Fifty-two infants (58% male) with reported prior bottle experience completed this study. NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding Total score was significantly positively associated with NNS burst duration and NNS cycles per burst. The NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding Energy and Physiologic Stability domain was significantly positively correlated with NNS cycles per burst. NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding Gastrointestinal Tract Function domain score was significantly positively correlated with NNS duration, amplitude, and cycles per burst. There were no significant associations between NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding domains and the OFS scale. The findings demonstrate that parent reports of problematic feeding at 3 months of age are associated with aspects of infant NNS physiology and not with oral feeding metrics during bottle-feeding. Parent reports of bottle-feeding behaviors, particularly pertaining to gastrointestinal issues, were associated with aspects of infant NNS. These data together will allow for a more nuanced understanding of infant feeding and will be beneficial in determining if infants have a feeding delay.

Infant Bottle-Feeding: A Prospective Study of Infant Physiology and Parental Report Metrics.

To determine the association between infant non-nutritive suck (NNS) dynamics at 3 months and developmental outcomes at 12 months of age in full-term infants. We hypothesized that infants with more mature NNS at 3 months, as evidence by shorter burst duration, fewer cycles per burst, cycles per minute, higher amplitude, and more bursts, would have higher (better) scores on the developmental outcomes at 12 months.

Article	Year
Changes in infant non-nutritive sucking throughout a suck sample at 3-months of age. PloS one\| PubMed ID: 32645061	2020
Changes in non-nutritive suck between 3 and 12 months. Early human development\| PubMed ID: 32784100	2020
Associations of gestational phthalate exposure and non-nutritive suck among infants from the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) birth cohort study. Environment international\| PubMed ID: 33740674	2021
Non-nutritive suck and airborne metal exposures among Puerto Rican infants. The Science of the total environment\| PubMed ID: 34082200	2021
Examining the association between prenatal maternal stress and infant non-nutritive suck. Pediatric research\| PubMed ID: 34916626	2023
Correlation between maternal eating disorder and early infant feeding regulation: a cross -sectional study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth\| PubMed ID: 34930160	2021
Birth Order Effects on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Parent Report of Problematic Feeding and Infant Feeding Abilities. Journal of neonatal nursing : JNN\| PubMed ID: 35095321	2022
The home environment and its relation to vocalizations in the first year of life. Pediatric medicine (Hong Kong, China)\| PubMed ID: 35664538	2022
The home environment and its relation to bottle feeding outcomes in the first year of life. Midwifery\| PubMed ID: 36371861	2023
Infant Bottle-Feeding: A Prospective Study of Infant Physiology and Parental Report Metrics. Comprehensive child and adolescent nursing\| PubMed ID: 37498287	2023
An examination of the association between infant non-nutritive suck and developmental outcomes at 12 months. PloS one\| PubMed ID: 38315689	2024

Alaina Martens

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