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Indian Pediatr 2014;51: 63 |
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Analgesic Effect of Direct Breastfeeding
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Sanjay G Gokhale and *Sankalp Gokhale
Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Rajhans
Hospital and Research Center,
Saphale, 401102, India, and *Department of Medicine (Neurology),
Duke University Hospital, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham,
NC, 27710.
Email: [email protected]
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This is with reference to the recent article comparing
analgesic effect of direct breastfeeding with dextrose and
placebo [1]. Clinical studies have shown that calming
effect of breast milk is due to components other than
its sugar [2]. Oral sugar may change the facial expressions
of some babies giving the impression that pain is being
relieved. One randomized controlled trial measured the
effect of oral sucrose on procedural pain in infants, with
direct measures of brain and spinal cord activity as an
outcome measure for pain. The results show that sucrose has
no effect on the neural activity in sensory pain circuits in
the brain or the spinal cord [3].
The needle prick causes pain, discomfort
and produces a sense of insecurity. Cuddling, patting and
holding baby very close to the body by caretaker or mother
imparts sense of security and, calms and pacifies baby.
Breastfeeding can help reduce pain and calm a child because
it gives the infant comforting skin-to-skin contact and
imparts a sense of security. Sucrose is given because it
seems to work but it probably just produces emotional
blunting; the process related to pain continues with its
detrimental effects.
References
1. Goswami G, Upadhyay A, Gupta NK,
Chaudhry R, Chawla D, Sreenivas V. Comparison of analgesic
effect of direct breastfeeding, oral 25% dextrose solution
and placebo during 1st DPT vaccination in healthy term
infants: A randomized, placebo controlled trial. Indian
Pediatr. 2013; 50:649-53.
2. Blass EM, Smith BA. Differential
effects of sucrose, fructose, glucose, and lactose on crying
in 1- to 3-day-old human infants: qualitative and
quantitative considerations. Developmental Psychol. 1992;
28: 804-10.
3. Slater R, Cornelissen L, Fabrizi L, Patten D, Yoxen J,
Worley A, et al. Oral sucrose as an analgesic drug
for procedural pain in newborn infants: a randomised
controlled trial. Lancet. 2010;376:1225-32.
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