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The effect of the odour of mother's milk on breastfeeding behaviour of premature neonates
Author(s) -
Raimbault Chantal,
Saliba Elie,
Porter Richard H.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2007.00114.x
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , breast milk , ingestion , gestational age , pediatrics , gestation , breast feeding , obstetrics , pregnancy , biochemistry , chemistry , biology , genetics
Aim: To assess the effects of exposure to the odour of mother's milk on breastfeeding behaviour of premature neonates. Methods: Thirteen preterm infants born at 30–33 weeks gestational age were tested. Seven infants were randomly assigned to the milk‐odour condition, 6 to the water‐control condition. During week 35 post‐conceptual age, each baby was exposed to the appropriate odour stimulus for 120 sec. on 5 consecutive days immediately prior to a breastfeeding attempt. The breastfeeding bout following the final odour exposure session, and a second breastfeeding session shortly before the baby left the hospital, were analysed. Babies were weighed before and after each feeding session. Results: During each breastfeeding session, babies in the milk‐odour condition displayed longer sucking bouts and more bursts composed of >7 sucking movements, and also consumed more milk than the Control infants. The time spent in the hospital was significantly less for the milk‐odour condition (median = 43 days vs. 55.5 days for Controls). Conclusion: Brief exposure to the odour of mother's milk prior to early breastfeeding trials had a positive effect on sucking behaviour and milk ingestion of preterm babies, which in turn resulted in a shortened stay in the hospital.