Table 1 The Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale (PIBBS)
Scale items | Maturational steps | Score |
|---|---|---|
Rooting | Did not root | 0 |
Showed some rooting behavior Showed obvious rooting behavior | 1 2 | |
Areolar grasp | None, the mouth only touched the nipple | 0 |
(how much of the | Part of the nipple | 1 |
breast was inside | The whole nipple, not the areola | 2 |
the baby’s mouth) | The nipple and some of the areola | 3 |
Latched on and | Did not latch on at all so the mother felt it | 0 |
fixed to the breast | Latched on for ≤5 min | 1 |
Latched on for 6–10 min Latched on for ≥11–15 min | 2 3 | |
Sucking | No sucking or licking | 0 |
Licking and tasting, but no sucking Single sucks, occasional short sucking bursts (2–9 sucks) Repeated short sucking bursts, occasional long bursts (≥10 sucks) Repeated (≥2) long sucking bursts | 1 2 3 4 | |
Longest sucking Burst | 1–5 consecutive sucks 6–10 consecutive sucks 11–15 consecutive sucks 16–20 consecutive sucks 21–25 consecutive sucks ≥26–30 consecutive sucks | 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
Swallowing | Swallowing was not noticed Occasional swallowing was noticed Repeated swallowing was noticed | 0 1 2 |