Understanding Feeding Challenges in Larger Babies
Official title: Oral Feeding Difficulty in Large for Gestational Age Infants: Defining Interrelationships between Body Composition, Oral Feeding Ability, and Appetite-Regulating Hormones
Funded at Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando · NIH-11144986 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to understand why larger babies, especially those born to mothers with obesity or diabetes, sometimes have trouble feeding by mouth in the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Orlando, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $274,593 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK134499-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144986 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research focuses on large for gestational age infants who experience difficulty with oral feeding while in the neonatal intensive care unit.
✕Less likely to help
Infants who do not have oral feeding difficulties or are not large for gestational age would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Many babies born larger than average, especially when mothers have obesity or diabetes, face challenges learning to feed by mouth in the hospital. These feeding difficulties can lead to longer hospital stays and higher healthcare costs. This project explores how a baby's body makeup, like the amount of fat versus muscle, might affect their hunger signals and feeding ability. We also look at how hormones that control appetite play a role. Understanding these connections could help us develop better feeding approaches for these vulnerable infants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to improved feeding strategies for larger babies, potentially shortening their hospital stays and reducing healthcare costs.
How similar studies have gone: While preliminary data suggest a link between body composition and feeding, the specific interrelationships with appetite hormones in these infants are not yet fully understood.
Where this research is happening
-
Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando
Orlando, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Viswanathan, Sreekanth — Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando
- Study coordinator: Viswanathan, Sreekanth
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.