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.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 < 0.002) and the threshold for gross body movements (p < 0.002).Conclusion: Peripheral sensitivity of newborn infants is considerably reduced during sucking, particularly at the breast.