Learning Early Infant Feeding Cues

Launched by FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY · Nov 8, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called "Learning Early Infant Feeding Cues," aims to understand how mothers can better recognize when their babies are hungry or full—this is known as responsive feeding. The study will focus on mothers who are enrolled in government-supported home visiting programs and will explore what helps or hinders them in using these feeding techniques. Researchers want to improve a program that teaches these skills and find out if the updated approach is helpful and acceptable to mothers.

To participate, mothers need to be in their third trimester of pregnancy, at least 18 years old, and able to speak English or Spanish. They should be expecting to keep custody of their baby after birth and have a healthy pregnancy. If eligible, mothers will join focus groups to share their feeding experiences, receive personalized coaching during feeding times at home, and complete online surveys. The study will start when mothers are close to giving birth and continue until their babies are six months old, with the goal of helping families foster healthy feeding habits.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• • Maternal Inclusion Criteria
• • Pregnant mother in the 3rd trimester (28 weeks or beyond)
• • Enrolled in a government-funded maternal-child home visiting program
• • Maternal age 18 years or older
• • English or Spanish speaking
• • Anticipated to have custody of infant after birth
• • Healthy pregnancy, no complications that are anticipated to result in a preterm birth or extended hospital stay for mother or infant
• • Maternal Exclusion Criteria
• • Gave birth to multiple fetuses
• • Age less than 18 years
• • Not fluent in English or Spanish
• • Expected to not have custody of the infant after birth
• • Infant inclusion criteria
• • Born as a singleton (not a twin, triplet, etc.) to a mother enrolled in a maternal-child home visiting program
• • Born full term (37 weeks or beyond)
• • Infant exclusion criteria
• • Congenital anomaly that may interfere with infant feeding or growth after birth (i.e., Down Syndrome, cleft lip/palate)
• • Born preterm (born prior to 37 weeks)
• • NICU stay beyond 48 hours
• • Infant diagnosis of failure to thrive
• • Supplemental oxygen
• • Enteral feeding device used for feedings