Premature baby lying in a hospital bed with a feeding tube.

Supporting Your Baby’s Feeding Journey

What we do know is that eating doesn’t just happen. In the womb, the fetus is continually smelling, tasting, sucking, and swallowing the amniotic fluid. By the time he is full term he is an experienced and coordinated eater.

When premature infants are born these enjoyable oral experiences stop and due to their immaturity, they will be tube fed. However, the premature brain will continue to develop and make connections to both positive and negative oral experiences.

The Milk Drop Method was created to provide consistent positive enjoyable oral experiences to help the infant wire the association of hunger to the pleasure of eating and the satisfaction of feeling full.

Every little drop— every little moment—makes a big difference

How We Support Your Baby

Familiar Comfort – Your parents will wear two scent hearts, bringing them back to place near your face. Their scent is soothing and reassuring.

Positioning for Success – After care, we’ll gently place you on your side or in skin-to-skin contact with your parents, keeping your hands near your face so you can self-soothe by sucking on your fingers.

Newborn baby peacefully sleeping on a caregiver's chest.
Close-up of newborn baby's tiny feet wrapped in a white blanket.

The Power of Skin-to-Skin Contact

  • Keeps baby warm
  • Stabilizes heart rate
  • Improves breathing & oxygenation
  • Increases sleep time & weight gain
  • Reduces stress & crying
  • Boosts milk supply
  • Strengthens bonding between baby & parents

Testimonials

Dad of 24 weeker-now 35 weeks

"I love to watch him take his milk
drops. His oxygen levels are at their best when he is getting those drops of milk."

Mother of 25 weeker now 32 weeks

 
"When my baby kangaroos
– she is not happy until she is cradled at my breast. I know that milk drops are a big part of this."

Mother of 27 week twins – home at 37 weeks

"My babies are coming home exclusively breastfeeding – just what I had hoped for."

Articles & Citations

Bingham, Peter M. “Deprivation and Dysphagia in Premature Infants.” Journal of Child Neurology, vol. 24, no. 6, 1 June 2009, pp. 743-749, https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073808329530. 

Pickler, R. H., McGrath, J. M., Reyna, B. A., McCain, N., Lewis, M., Cone, S., Wetzel, P., Best, A. (2010). A model of neurodevelopmental risk and protection for preterm infants. The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing, 24(4), 356– 365.doi:10.1097/JPN.0b013e3181fb1e7

Shubert, T. R., et al. “Effects of Pacifier and Taste on Swallowing, Esophageal Motility, Transit, and Respiratory Rhythm in Human Neonates.” Neurogastroenterology & Motility, vol. 28, no. 4, 4 Jan. 2016, pp. 532–542, https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.12748.

O’Rourke, B., Fuller, K., Parker, L., Moore, T. (2022). Provision of positive oral experiences for premature infants by offering milk drops: A clinical practice change initiative. Journal of Neonatal Nursing. 10.1016/j.jnn.2022.11.014.​

 Séassau, Alexia, et al. “Neonatal Care Unit Interventions on Preterm Development.” Children (Basel), vol. 10, no. 6, 2 June 2023, pp. 999 999, https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060999. 

Selman, R., &; Aleksandra Popkowska. (2024). Optimizing Neonatal Prefeeding Habilitation: A Holistic Approach Integrating Neonatal Learning Behaviors, Motor Development, and Evidence-Based Interventions. Neonatal Network the Journal of Neonatal Nursing, 43(4), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1891/nn-2024-0004