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 |
|---|---|
| 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
- Breast Feeding
- Heel
- Humans
- Infant, Newborn
- Movement
- Pacifiers
- Pain Threshold
- Physical Stimulation
- Posture
- Reflex
- Sucking Behavior