Effect of suckling on the peripheral sensitivity of full-term newborn infants.
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.
Abdulkader
H M
HM
Department of Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Freer
Y
Y
Fleetwood-Walker
S M
SM
McIntosh
N
N
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*