Author: Mizuno, K., Inoue, M, and Takeuchi, T.
Source: Eur J Pediatr (2000), 159: 827-831.
During bottle feeding some infants breathe better on their bellies (prone position) versus on their backs in a cradled position (supine position). This study?s purpose was to look at the effects of body position on the oral feeding performance: sucking pressure (how strong the suck is), frequency (how often the child sucks), efficiency (how easy it is for the baby), and ventilation (how well is the baby breathing during bottle feeding).
14 infants with oxygen desaturations during feeding were used in this study. Oxygen desaturations during feeding means that the baby isn?t getting enough oxygen and needs to stop feeding to breathe. Sometimes this happens with sick babies because they haven?t learned how to coordinate their breathing and swallowing. They?re hungry so they eat fast and forget to stop and breathe.
The babies were fed either in a typical feeding position or on their belly. Oxygen saturation was monitored with a pulse oximeter which is a machine that measures how much oxygen the baby is getting. The baby wears a probe taped to the fingers or toes that measures oxygen. Sucking pressure was measured with a catheter placed in the nipple to measure how the strength of the suck. Results showed that the babies were able to breathe better while feeding on their bellies. They were also able to suck more often and quickly using a stronger suck in this position.
The author?s feel that there are several reasons for the better eating in this position. First, they said that premature babies often feed better with milk that doesn?t just flow out of the bottle quickly or drip out of the nipple. This gives them a chance to stop and breathe. The milke did not flow out of the nipple in the belly position. Also, if the milk doesn?t come out quickly, the baby will suck more to get it out, which is what the babies did . The other reason the babies did better on their bellies is the back of their mouth and throat was clear. A premature baby can have floppy or soft structures such as the tongue, soft palate (where your uvula is) and even the throat. Sometimes when babies are fed in a cradled position the tongue and soft palate can fall back into the throat making it hard for the baby to breathe. And finally, babies tend to breathe mostly with their bellies. When positioned with their belly down, breathing might be easier because the babies don?t have to work to breathe against gravity. So for some infants being in this position actually makes feeding easier.
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