The Effect of The Premature Infant Oral Motorınterventıon on Suckıng Capacıty in Preterm Infants

The Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI), developed by Dr. Brenda Lessen Knoll, was chosen for this study because it is the only oral motor program designed specifically for preterm babies as young as 29 weeks post menstrual age (PMA) and is the only program with a standardized training method and published intervention fidelity. The 5 minute therapy offers assisted movement to activate muscle contraction and movement against resistance to build strength in the perioral structures. The PIOMI has 8 steps where a provider uses a pinky finger to provide gentle stroking and pressure on the cheeks, lips, tongue, gums and palate to strengthen the oral sensory-motor functions and improve feeding efficiency. PIOMI ends with 2 minutes of NNS. NNS and oral stimulation have been found to mature the oral motor sensory system, and improve not only bottle feeding, but also breastfeeding.