Research Article

Maternal role in sensory-motor stimulation for oral feed establishment in preterm neonates (MSMS trial)

Rafia Gul, Saqib Aslam, Samer Fatima, Sidra Nayamat, Saher Gul Ahdi, Fizza Yaqoob

Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine · Online First · Published September 9, 2026
DOI: 10.1177/19345798261483250

Oral Feeding in Preterm Babies: In Brief

Oral feeding in preterm babies takes practice: when they are ready to move from tube feeding to feeding by mouth, gentle touch and movement exercises around the mouth can help them learn to suck, swallow and breathe together. This trial asked a simple question: can trained mothers give these exercises as well as trained nurses?

Key Points

• A randomized trial in the newborn intensive care unit of Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore, from March 2022 to September 2023.
• Babies born at 28 to 34 weeks were randomized (130 in total, 97 in the final analysis) to receive the exercises from trained mothers or from trained nurses.
• The two groups reached full oral feeding in a similar time (log-rank p = 0.984), with no significant differences in the other feeding measures or in side effects.
• The results support involving trained mothers in structured feeding care. The study was not designed to prove the two approaches are equivalent, so larger trials are needed.

What This Means for Parents

If your premature baby is learning to feed by mouth, you can be part of it. In this trial, mothers who were shown how to give simple mouth and cheek exercises helped their babies reach full oral feeding just as well as trained nurses did. Ask the NICU team to teach you, practice gently before feeds, and watch your baby’s cues for hunger and tiredness. Being involved builds your confidence and your bond with your baby, and continues at home with Preemie Care and Nutrition follow-up.

Oral FeedingPremature BabiesSensory-Motor StimulationFamily-Centered CareMother InvolvementRandomized Controlled Trial

© The Author(s) 2026. Published in the Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. PDF shared by the authors. Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05484726.