Table 1. Phases of feeding in newborns and features pertaining to HIE.

HIE: hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy; UES: upper esophageal sphincter; LES: lower esophageal sphincter.

Phases of feeding in newborns and features pertaining to HIE
Phase	Features	Abnormality in HIE
Primary	Alert and active state, rooting reflex, non-nutritive sucking	Sleepy and dull state, poor rooting reflex
Oral	Sucking and swallowing in a 1:1 ratio	Increased oral secretions, shallower sucking, majority of short and single sucking bursts
Pharyngeal	Swallowing, deglutition apnea, reflexive pharyngeal swallow, UES contractile and relaxation reflexes, LES relaxation, pharyngo-glottal closing reflex	Aberrant deglutition, decreased deglutition frequency and duration, impaired provoked pharynx reflexes, and smooth muscle contractility
Esophageal	UES contractile reflex, primary and secondary peristalsis, UES relaxation reflex, esophageal deglutition reflex, secondary peristalsis	Increased tonicity of skeletal muscle components of UES, prolonged and poorly coordinated peristalsis