Gut hormones and oropharyngeal colostrum in NICU
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gut hormone response to oropharyngeal administration of mother’s colostrum to infants in neonatal intensive care
IRAS ID
223294
Contact name
Jon/JD Dorling
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 6 days
Research summary
Infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units require invasive therapies and the consequences of their originating clinical presenting conditions are compounded by additional risks arising from the medical and nursing care they require. This research will focus on one aspect of preventing complications which accompany clinical care which withholds oral feeding during the early neonatal
Feeding is a major challenge in babies requiring neonatal intensive care after birth. It is an important factor that influencing their nutrition, growth, and health outcomes. Delay in giving enteral feeding after birth is associated with increased risk of infections, longer hospital stay, and other complications.
Colostrum is the first milk produced by the mothers during the first few days after birth. It is rich in nutrients and protective factors that can help unwell babies to fight infections. After birth, if a baby is critically ill and cannot be fed by his mother, bottle or tube, colostrum can be provided by giving a few drops of mother’s own colostrum in the mouth of the baby to provide the benefits of mother's colostrum to those infants. This route has been called (oropharyngeal route).
Oropharyngeal administration of colostrum (OPC) has been introduced for use in infants who, as a consequence of their clinical condition or prematurity are unable to take oral/sucking feeds. OPC is now part of routine neonatal care for infants in many Neonatal Intensive Care Units
In this study we want to know whether giving colostrum in the mouth stimulates the secretion of gut hormones which might help babies to reach full milk feeding earlier, leading to a better weight gain and shorten hospital stay. Furthermore, early provision of mother’s colostrum increases rates of breastfeeding which have been linked to improved health outcomes. Additionally, Encouraging mothers to express breast milk early and empowering parents to provide OPC to their babies, increase opportunities for parents to become engaged in the care of their babies and promotes bonding.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0323
Date of REC Opinion
12 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion