The influence of behavioral state on sucking patterns in preterm infants Influência do estado comportamental nos padrões de sucção de recém-nascidos pré-termo

Purpose: To verify the influence of preterm infants’ behavioral states in non-nutritive sucking, nutritive sucking and feeding performance at the moment of oral feeding release. Methods: Thirty-two preterm infants participated in the study. They were hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and presented stable clinical conditions. After medical release for oral feeding, the following aspects of infants were observed by the same speech therapist: behavioral state, postural pattern, oral reflexes, phono-articulatory organs’ characteristics, non-nutritive and nutritive sucking, number of sucks per block, rate of milk transfer and oral feeding performance. Results: No relationship was found between the infants’ behavioral states and non-nutritive sucking. In nutritive sucking it was verified the influence of behavioral states on the number of sucks in the three first blocks intervals sucking/pause. This means that at the moment of oral feeding start infants in the alertness state presented a higher number of sucks than those in the sleep state. Consequently an impact on feeding performance was verified, with a higher rate of milk transfer and an increased oral feeding performance. Nonetheless no statistical significance was found in regards to these aspects. Conclusion: This research’s findings show that behavioral states did not influence on non-nutritive sucking aspects. But in nutritive sucking, infants in the alertness state presented a higher number of sucks per block than those