Transitioning premature infants from gavage to breast.

Breast milk provides physiologic and neurodevelopmental protection for premature infants. Most hospitals are breast-milk friendly, but the number of premature infants breastfeeding successfully at discharge is relatively small. There are evidence-based techniques to improve the odds of premature infants breastfeeding at discharge and into the first year of life. Measures that help the infant make the transition to the breast include kangaroo care, nonnutritive sucking, avoidance of bottles, and consistent and supportive staff. A guide to management of the transition process is provided in this article.