The Effect of Abdominal Massage on the Feeding Tolerance of Neonates with Very Low Birth Weight

Background: Functional immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract in premature infants can cause several problems, leading to feeding intolerance. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of abdominal massage on the feeding tolerance of neonates with very low birth weight. Methods: This randomized single-blind clinical open-label trial was conducted on low-birth-weight neonates, who were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of two tertiary university hospitals from March 2016 to March 2017. The neonates were randomly assigned to two groups. In the massage group, massage was applied three times a day, while in the control group, the patients received routine care. The gastric residual volume (GRV), vomiting, defecation frequency, and abdominal circumference were measured before and after massage in the massage group, as well as the control group. Results: There was no significant difference between the massage and control groups regarding gender, birth weight, age, feeding mode, and gestational age (P = 0.711, 0.076, 0.082, 0.612, and 0.629, respectively). None of these variables changed significantly in the controls (P = 0.06, 0.264, 0.421, and 0.07, respectively). Conclusions: We found that premature infants who received massage therapy experienced a significant decline in GRV, vomiting frequency, and abdominal circumference and a significant increment in the defecation frequency. Therefore, abdominal massage, which results in less abdominal distension and GRV, is recommended prior to enteral feeding for infants with very low birth weight.