Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sucking may reduce the manifestations of pain in newborn infants.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of suckling on the threshold for peripheral somatosensory responses.
Subjects and methods: Graded Von Frey filaments were applied to the heel to initiate peripheral somatosensory responses (withdrawal reflex and gross body movements) in term infants.
RESULTS: Dummy sucking increases the somatosensory threshold, but breast feeding had a more marked effect, increasing the threshold of the flexion withdrawal reflex (p<or=0.002) and the threshold for gross body movements (p</=0.002).
CONCLUSION: Peripheral sensitivity of newborn infants is considerably reduced during sucking, particularly at the breast.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of suckling on the threshold for peripheral somatosensory responses.
Subjects and methods: Graded Von Frey filaments were applied to the heel to initiate peripheral somatosensory responses (withdrawal reflex and gross body movements) in term infants.
RESULTS: Dummy sucking increases the somatosensory threshold, but breast feeding had a more marked effect, increasing the threshold of the flexion withdrawal reflex (p<or=0.002) and the threshold for gross body movements (p</=0.002).
CONCLUSION: Peripheral sensitivity of newborn infants is considerably reduced during sucking, particularly at the breast.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | F130-1 |
Journal | Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition |
Volume | 92 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2007 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Breast Feeding
- Heel
- Humans
- Infant, Newborn
- Movement
- Pacifiers
- Pain Threshold
- Physical Stimulation
- Posture
- Reflex
- Sucking Behavior