Comparison of Effect of Feeding Premature Infants with Either Cup, Bottle, and Syringe on Transition to Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Success, Weight Gain, and Duration of Hospitalization

Objective: This study was completed with the aim of determining the effect of cup feeding (CF), bottle feeding (BF), and syringe feeding (SF) methods on the transition to breastfeeding, breastfeeding success, physiological parameters, weight gain, and discharge duration for preterm neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Materials and Methods: The study was designed to be randomized, controlled, and single blinded. The study was completed with 102 premature neonates between 29-34 gestational weeks abiding by the case selection criteria receiving treatment and care in the NICU. The 1st group comprised premature neonates receiving CF, the second group received BF, and the third group received SF. For collection of data, the Premature Infant Descriptive Information and Monitoring Form, Bristol Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (BBAT), and Infant-Focused Feeding Scales (IFFS) were used. Results: Comparison of mean peak heart rate in the groups found that the BF group was significantly high (p = 0.047) and comparison of mean SO2 found that the SF group was significantly high (p = 0.000). Infants in the SF group were determined to have significantly higher BBAT scores compared to the infants in the BF and CF groups (p = 0.015). In addition, SF infants were determined to transition to full enteral feeding and breastfeeding in a shorter duration (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups for weight gain and discharge duration (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The SF method was determined to more positively affect breastfeeding success, transition to full breastfeeding duration, and vital signs compared to the CF and BF methods. In line with the results obtained in the study, the use of the SF method may be recommended to increase breastfeeding success of neonates, to shorten the transition to full breastfeeding and for stable physical parameters.