Objectives: We conducted a randomized trial to test the hypothesis that the mother's voice played through a pacifier-activated music (PAM) player during nonnutritive sucking would improve the development of sucking ability and promote more effective oral feeding in preterm infants.
Methods: Preterm infants between 34 0/7 and 35 6/7 weeks postmenstrual age, including those with brain injury, who were taking at least half their feedings enterally and less than half orally, were randomly assigned to receive 5 daily 15-minute sessions of either PAM with mother's recorded voice or no PAM, along with routine nonnutritive sucking and maternal care in both groups. Assignment was masked to the clinical team.
