Meeting the Feeding Challenges of the Late
Preterm Infant
Late preterm infants present a number of feeding
challenges including fewer and shorter awake periods,
sleepiness, they tire easily when feeding, have a weak
suck and low tone, and may have an inability to sustain
sucking, fatiguing easily before finishing a feeding. They
are easily overstimulated and may shut down before
consuming adequate amounts of milk. They may take
small volumes of milk during the early days in the
hospital, which may be sufficient for that period of
time, but are unable to consume higher volumes of milk
post discharge. Their tone may be adequate at the start
of a feeding but rapidly decreases during the feeding,
indicating decreased endurance. They may go through
the motions of feeding, moving their jaw up and down,
but low tone generally translates to poor vacuum, often
resulting in little if any milk transfer.