Olfactory Stimulation of Preterm Infants with Breast Milk
1Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, South Korea.
Insights
Olfactory stimulation using maternal breast milk significantly reduced apnea episodes in preterm infants. This intervention supports stable physiological responses crucial for infant growth and development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Physiology
- Infant development
Background:
- Stable physiological responses are vital for preterm infant growth.
- Abnormal physiological responses can impede development in premature infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk on abnormal physiological responses in preterm infants.
- To determine if this intervention can reduce the frequency of such responses.
Main Methods:
- A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was employed.
- The study involved 13 preterm infants in the experimental group and 18 in the control group.
- The intervention consisted of olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk, administered three times daily for five consecutive days.
Main Results:
- The experimental group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in apnea frequency compared to the control group (p = .021).
- Olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk demonstrated a positive effect on physiological stability.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk is a potentially effective nursing intervention for decreasing apnea in preterm infants.
- This method may contribute to improved physiological stability and development in premature neonates.
Abstract:
Maintaining stable physiological responses may be important for the growth and development of preterm infants. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk on the occurrence of abnormal physiological responses in preterm infants. With a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design, 13 preterm infants in the experimental group and 18 preterm infants in the control group completed the intervention. The intervention was implemented three times a day for 5 days in a row with 2 hours of administration per intervention. The frequency of abnormal physiological responses was assessed over 6 days (one day before intervention administration and 5 days during intervention administration). With repeated-measures analysis of variance, the experimental group showed a significantly lower frequency of apnea than the control group (p = .021). Olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk may be an effective nursing intervention for reducing apnea episodes in preterm infants.
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