PIOMI Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention

29/09/2026

REGISTER TODAY! SPECIAL WEEKDAY TIME!!!
It's not too late to join the WEDNESDAY MORNING 3-hour PIOMI Training Webinar THIS WEEK on Sept 30th! Register online at: piomi.com/webinars

26/09/2026

Join us tomorrow for Week 1 of Fall 2026 Journal Club! This week we will be discussing feeding.

Journal Club begins at 7:00pm CST and you MUST join the Zoom call by 7:10pm in order to be admitted into the session. Thank you for this attention to detail and punctuality! We look forward to seeing you!

Reminder: By attending NTCB® Journal Club, you receive a certificate of completion. Journal Club certificates count toward education requirements for the Neonatal Therapy Certification® application!

Be sure to register and review the articles here: https://linktr.ee/ntcb

21/09/2026

PIOMI is forever grateful for all of the brilliant minds of therapists worldwide who are practicing and researching the Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention. I CELEBRATE YOU ALL!!!!

15/09/2026

It is with profound gratitude that PIOMI recognizes and celebrates the contributions of Neonatal Nurses across the globe! We share your passion and are awed by your dedication to improving neonatal feeding. 💙

01/09/2026

Surface EMG (Electromyography) used to assess impact of PIOMI on orofacial muscle activity! The sEMG amplitudes increased significantly for the masseter (20.96–52.79 μV, P < .001), zygomatic (29.07–69.56 μV, P < .001), and orbicularis oris (20.97–73.36 μV, P < .001). HOW EXCITING to see this work published with my long time colleagues in Iran!

Background:
Premature infants frequently experience feeding difficulties because of immature oral–motor coordination. The Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) has been shown to improve feeding skills, but objective evidence regarding its effects on orofacial muscle activity remains limited.

Purpose:
To evaluate the effects of PIOMI on orofacial muscle activity and feeding outcomes in premature infants with feeding disorders.

Methods:
This pilot study was conducted in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Mazandaran, Iran. Ten premature infants (gestational age 29–36 weeks; mean 32.4 ± 2.1; birth weight 1706 ± 476 g) received daily PIOMI sessions for 7 days by a trained speech therapist. Orofacial muscle activity (masseter, zygomatic, and orbicularis oris) was measured using surface electromyography (sEMG) at rest and during non-nutritive sucking. Oral-motor skills were assessed with the Preterm Infant Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment Scale (POFRAS), and milk intake volume was recorded.

Results:
All infants completed the intervention in March 2025 without adverse events. The sEMG amplitudes increased significantly for the masseter (20.96–52.79 μV, P < .001), zygomatic (29.07–69.56 μV, P < .001), and orbicularis oris (20.97–73.36 μV, P < .001). POFRAS scores improved from 12.10 ± 3.38 to 20.70 ± 5.60 (P < .001), and milk intake from 40.00 ± 6.66 mL to 45.00 ± 18.40 mL (P < .001).

Implications for Practice and Research:
PIOMI enhances orofacial muscle activity and feeding skills in premature infants. These findings support sEMG as an objective evaluation tool and provide preliminary evidence for larger clinical trials.

Background:Premature infants frequently experience feeding difficulties because of immature oral–motor coordination. The Premature Infant Oral Motor...

29/08/2026

We have 13 more PIOMI Providers across 7 countries (USA, China, India, Kuwait, Philippines, Turkey & Slovenia) who trained with me today to implement PIOMI in their NICUs and Clinics. CONGRATULATIONS! And we launched the new PIOMI COMPANION! An AI Chatbot created by LatticeTalk AI™ that answers any questions about PIOMI Training in 95 languages. We are excited to offer this new "on the ground" support tool for PIOMI users.

The NEXT PIOMI Training Webinar takes place on October 17th! Register at piomi.com/webinars

14/07/2026

❓ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐌𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧?

If your baby is born preterm, feeding may be one of your biggest early challenges. Many preterm babies need time to learn how to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. That’s where PIOMI comes in. 💜

💡 PIOMI stands for Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention. This gentle, 5-minute therapy is used in the NICU to support feeding skills in preterm babies, often starting around 29 weeks of development.

👐 What does PIOMI involve?
Trained healthcare professionals gently stimulate the lips, cheeks, tongue, and gums with a gloved pinky finger.

This mimics the oral experiences a baby would have in the womb and can help strengthen the muscles and coordination needed for oral feeding.

👶 How can PIOMI help?
Research shows that preterm babies who receive PIOMI may experience:
🔹 Earlier readiness to start oral feeding
🔹 Faster transition to full oral feedings (less time on tubes)
🔹 Shorter hospital stays
🔹 Improved coordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing
🔹 Better breastfeeding success, even months after discharge

Some studies also suggest more sustained breastfeeding at one year of age.

🌱 More than just feeding support
Feeding is closely linked to a baby’s overall development. That’s why PIOMI may also contribute to:
🔹 Better fine and gross motor development
🔹 Improved language and social-emotional skills
🔹 Stronger neurodevelopmental outcomes in the first year

✨ Why is this important?
For many preterm babies, feeding is one of the biggest milestones before going home. PIOMI can give them a gentle head start – supporting their transition to oral feeding step by step, and at their own pace. 💗

14/07/2026

I am proud to be #2 of the Top 10 Most Productive Authors and in Most Relevant Authors in oral and oromotor stimulation-based neonatal research. The #1 spot is represented by Fucile's seminal work from 2002, informing my own research which began in 2012 and has since been the primary driver of the upward trajectory away from descriptions of feeding problems to standardised intervention-focused studies (PIOMI) and functional feeding outcomes.

I am proud to be #2 of the Top 10 Most Productive Authors and in Most Relevant Authors in oral and oromotor stimulation-based neonatal research. The #1 spot is represented by Fucile's seminal work from 2002, informing my own research which began in 2012 and has since been the primary driver of the u...