Assessed element | Way of feeding after 3 months | P-value |
---|---|---|
Tongue positioning | 60% of children who had normally positioned tongue were fed naturally | 0.0397 |
Searching reflex | 57% of children who correctly expressed search reflex were fed naturally | 0.0410 |
Suckling reflex | 57% of children who showed normal suckling reflex were fed naturally | 0.0410 |
Wide mouth opening | 94% of naturally fed infants opened their mouths wide after the area below the nose was touched with the nipple during the assessment of suckling function | 0.0107 |
Angle between the lips | 88% of infants with an obtuse angle between the lips were fed naturally | 0.0267 |
Depth of nipple grasp | 85% of children who held a large part of the areola in the mouth were fed naturally | 0.0430 |
Position of the areola | 97% of children who correctly grasped the areola, with the lower lip covering more than the upper lip, were fed naturally | 0.0053 |
Champing and smacking | None of the still naturally fed infants showed champing and smacking on day 2 of life | 0.0390 |
Suckling movements assessed before feeding | Normal and fast movements were observed in all naturally fed infants | 0.0390 |
Deep suckling movements | Normal deep suckling movements during milk outflow were observed in all children fed naturally | 0.0380 |