Methods
The influence of non-nutritive sucking and oral stimulation
on breastfeeding was analyzed through a randomized
double-blind clinical trial, which included a sample of 98 preterm
infants with very low birth weights. The main outcome
was admission time. Breastfeeding rate at discharge was one
of the secondary outcomes of the original study.5
Sample size was calculated for the experimental group
considering a 20% decrease in length of stay, ensuring a statistical
power of 81.25% for the secondary outcome (rate of
breastfeeding at discharge).
Double-blinding included the medical staff at the neonatal
intensive care unit (ICU) and at the outpatient ward, the
nursing staff which provided care to the infants, the speech
therapist which assessed infant capacity to begin sucking and
the mothers