A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Sucking Stimulation Techniques on Sucking Reflex among Neonates Born at Selected Hospitals

Introduction Sucking problem is a cause of concern for many new mothers. This problem is quite common in initial stages after birth or when introduced to bottle, to breastfeed. The reasons of baby not sucking properly are a greater concern for mothers. Objectives To assess the sucking reflex after giving sucking stimulation by rooting reflex stimulation, stimulation of suck point, tapping on lips & rubbing nipple on lips. To evaluate the effectiveness of sucking stimulation techniques by comparing mean pre & post sucking reflex scores of neonates. To evaluate the effectiveness of sucking stimulation techniques by comparing mean post neonatal sucking reflex scores of various neonates randomly assigned to various counterbalancing. Method An experimental approach with crossover design, sample was selected by probability sampling technique, sample size 120, tools used for data collectionare demographic performa & Early feeding skill assessment Scale. Results Results Showed Post-test sucking reflex scores was higher (41.08 + 1.16 Vs 32.50 + 2.55) than the pre-test, significant difference in mean post neonatal sucking reflex scores of various neonates randomly assigned to various counterbalancing [F (4, 595) =354.5, pgreater than0.05].