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Effects of Swaddling on Infants During Feeding

Effects of Swaddling During Bottle Feeding on Infants Born Preterm

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02661360
Enrollment
30
Registered
2016-01-22
Start date
2015-09-30
Completion date
2016-04-30
Last updated
2017-01-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Premature Birth

Keywords

swaddling

Brief summary

The purpose of this randomized, within-subject, cross-over study is to examine if swaddling affects bottle feeding performance in infants born preterm. Results from research will have implication on neurobehavioral and physiologic outcomes as important indicators for the possible effect of swaddling during bottle feeding.

Detailed description

Once an infant is orally feeding a minimum of two times per nursing shift for four consecutive nursing shifts, the infant will be randomly assigned to receive the intervention (swaddling) or control condition (no swaddling) first, by the research OT randomly choosing an envelope with the assignment enclosed. The intervention and control feedings for each infant will be consecutive and will take place at the infant's bedside in the NICU. Infants will be assessed at each nursing care time for feeding readiness by the research OT and feeding OT according the policies of the NYU Langone Medical Center NICU, which utilizes the Infant-Driven Feeding Scale-Readiness (Appendix B) (Ludwig & Waitzman, 2006). When the infant demonstrates readiness, the first condition will be initiated. At the next feeding when the infant demonstrates readiness, the opposite condition will be applied. If the infant is not available due to procedures or not demonstrating feeding readiness, at the next two caregiving times after the first feeding, the infant will be discontinued for that day and will start the study over the next day.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSwaddling Intervention for Preterm Infants

Procedure for swaddling includes folding one corner of the blanket down two thirds of the way down the blanket in order to make the blanket into a triangular shape. The infant will be positioned with shoulders at the fold of the blanket. The infant will be positioned with the blanket so that elbows, hips, and knees flexed with hands near the face by wrapping one side of the blanket across the chest holding the hands in place, pulling the bottom corner up toward the infant's face, and securing the blanket with the last corner pulled across the infant's chest again and around their back. The blanket will be tight enough to keep extremities in place but one finger will be able to be placed between the infant and the blanket.

BEHAVIORALUnswaddled Control

Procedure for control is blanket loosely draped across the infant without providing containment and without touching the anterior surface of the infant.

Sponsors

NYU Langone Health
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
1 Days to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* all infants born before 34 weeks gestational age will be included as long as they do not have any

Exclusion criteria

* infants born before 34 weeks gestational age is 33 weeks 3 days to 35 weeks 0 days, with attainment of exclusive bottle feeding at 36 weeks gestational age at the earliest. * Infants who are multiples will be included but restricted to twins and triplets. * Infants will only be included if their parents provide informed consent for participation of their infant in the study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Oral feeding readiness measured by subtest of Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)1 Day
Feeding engagement measured by subtest of Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)1 Day
Oral motor organization measured by subtest of Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)1 Day
Swallow coordination measured by subtest of Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)1 Day
Physiologic stability measured by subtest of Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)1 DayStability of heart rate and respiratory rate are indicative of the ability of the infant born preterm to cope with stress during bottle feeding
Feeding recovery measured by subtest of Early Feeding Skills Assessment (EFS)1 Day
Number of significant changes in heart rate (bradycardia1 Day
Number of significant oxygen desaturations1 Day

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026