Feeding intolerance (FI) is one of the most common problems that occur among preterm which
increase morbidity and mortality rate among them. Aim: To evaluate the effect of abdominal
massage on feeding intolerance and weight of preterm neonates. Design: quasi experimental design.
Setting: The study was conducted at Elgameyaa Elshreya Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shebin
EL Kom city and Elgameyaa Elshreya Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Ashmoon city /Menoufia
Governorate. Sample: A purposive sample of 61preterm neonates were selected and randomly
assigned into two groups, massage group include thirty three preterm and control groups include
twenty-eight preterm neonate. Tool, one tool was used for data collection; it includes three parts,
Part 1:Structured questionnaire was developed to collect characteristics and medical data of the
preterm infants, Part 2: Feeding-intolerance criteria in the preterm infants, Part 3: Chart for daily
weight of preterm neonate. Results: There was a highly statistically significant difference in the
mean score of feeding intolerance between the 1st and 5th days, abdominal circumference
was( 28.49±2.39 and 26.65±2.422), frequency of defecation was (0.515±0.71 and 2.61±0.83),
frequency of vomiting (0.636±0.89and 0.06±0.35) and GVR(7.09±3.33 and 0.24±1.39) in the
massage group, respectively. Also, the mean preterm infant weight in the massage was
(1602.88±388.8 and 1640.06±393.96) on the 1st and 5th day respectively, with a highly statistically
significant difference. conclusion: The abdominal massage had a positive influence on feeding
tolerance indicators such as frequency of defecation, vomiting, abdominal distention, abdominal
circumference, and GRV. The study recommended: Utilizing abdominal massage as a nursing
care routine in enterally fed preterm neonates.