This allows them to have less adverse experiences, such as aspiration of the fluid, as well as be able to meet the discharge requirement of taking independent oral feedings. Transitioning premature infants to oral feedings based on development, rather than on the traditional practice of waiting until the infant reaches 34 weeks gestational age, can shorten their stay in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and reduce the cost of their care (Fucile, Gisel, McFarland, & Lau, …show more content…
The study by Standley et al. (2010) included 68 preterm infants. The Barlow et al. (2008) study used a population of 31 infants and Fucile et al. (2011) studied the largest group consisting of 75 infants. The study by Fucile et al. (2011) seemed to have the best sample size for demonstrating power. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for each study were alike, allowing only healthy premature infants to be participants. The study conducted by Standley et al. (2010) experienced some attrition, as several infants were discharged from the hospital before the conclusion of the