Tiny triumphs: OT's impact on neonatal feeding milestones for infants with HIE

Occupational therapists (OTs) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) play an instrumental role in developing individualized care plans for infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), plans that encompass family goals and priorities to address the infant’s specific needs within their natural environment. NICU OTs foster engagement in meaningful co-occupations of the caregiver–infant dyad to promote success in occupational performance, including infant feeding (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2018).  

HIE is a type of brain injury that affects 1.5 to 2.5 infants per 1,000 live births in developed countries. It occurs when an infant is deprived of oxygen or blood flow prenatally, intrapartum, or postnatally (Allen & Brandon, 2011). A NICU admission is often necessary to ensure that the complex medical care that supports the needs of the infant and family is provided. The severity of HIE is categorized as mild (stage 1), moderate (stage 2), or severe (stage 3), based on the duration of oxygen deprivation using the Sarnat Stage Grading System (Mrelashvili et al., 2020).