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Effect of suckling on the peripheral sensitivity of full-term newborn infants
H M Abdulkader1, Y Freer, S M Fleetwood-Walker
1Department of Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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
Conclusion:
Peripheral sensitivity of newborn infants is considerably reduced during sucking, particularly at the breast.
