Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Multisensory Early Oral Administration of Human Milk (M-MILK) for Very Preterm Infants: Enhancing Stress Regulation, Neurodevelopment, and Oral Feeding Skills

Background . Early life stress results in disrupted stress regulation, and less optimal neurodevelopment and oral feeding skills in very preterm infants. Despite these associations, there are few evidence-based interventions to help these fragile infants during critical stages of development. Purpose . This article describes an ongoing research protocol of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the m ultisensory early oral administration of human milk (M-MILK) as an early NICU intervention to improve stress regulation, support optimal neurodevelopment, and promote competent oral feeding skills in very preterm infants. Method . M-MILK is an infant-led early NICU intervention beginning on day 3 of life to provide very preterm infants with small droplets of milk orally while engaging their innate senses. Infants (N = 124) born