title: Effect of suckling on the peripheral sensitivity of full-term newborn infants.
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.
  
  
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peripheral sensitivity of newborn infants is considerably reduced during sucking, particularly at the breast.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Abdulkader
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Freer
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Fleetwood-Walker
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McIntosh
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D006365:Heel; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D041361:Pacifiers; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D013391:Sucking Behavior / Q000502:physiology*