home | comfort strategies | breastfeeding

 Breastfeeding.

 

Breastfeeding can be one of the most effective ways to reduce your baby’s pain, especially when they are undressed and in skin-to-skin contact on your chest (1-3)

Breast milk provides your baby with the nutrition they need for healthy growth and development, but breastfeeding offers more than just the amazing nutrition of breast milk! (1-5)

 
 
IWK ICU April Photography By Scott Munn 2019 Edit28791.JPG

Why is it comforting?

 
 

The comfort of being close to you.

Your touch, voice, smell, and heartbeat are all familiar to your baby from their time in your womb

The powerful effect of skin-to-skin.

Skin-to-skin contact with you allows for attachment, love, and connection to grow between you and your baby, reducing pain during painful procedures

The calming action of sucking.

Babies love to suck. They often are able to soothe themselves by sucking on the breast or their hands, or a soother when they are unable to breastfeed

The comforting taste and smell of breast milk.

The taste and familiar smell of breast milk releases feel-good hormones in your baby’s brain. This helps to keep them feeling calm and acts as a pain relief

 
 
BF_procedures.png
 
 

Watch this short video to see breastfeeding for pain management in action!

 
 
 

Certain immunization clinics may not have a private setting where they give the vaccinations. If you would like to breastfeed during the procedure make sure you tell the clinic nurse and bring a cover-up for more privacy if you prefer.

 
 
BF_Heart.png
 
 

References

  1. Benoit, B., Martin-Misener, R., Latimer, M., & Campbell-Yeo, M. (2017). Breast-Feeding Analgesia in Infants: An update on the current state of evidence. The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing, 31(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPN.0000000000000253
  2. Shah, P. S., Herbozo, C., Aliwalas, L. L., & Shah, V. S. (2012). Breastfeeding or breast milk for procedural pain in neonates. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (12). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004950.pub3
  3. Johnston, C., Disher, T., Benoit, B., Fernandes, A., Streiner, D., Inglis, D., … Inglis, D. (2017). Skin-to-skin care for procedural pain in neonates. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008435.pub3.Copyright
  4. Moore, E., Bergman, N., Anderson, G., & Medley, N. (2016). Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 11, CD003519. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub4
  5. Loos, H. M., Reger, D., & Schaal, B. (2019). The odour of human milk: Its chemical variability and detection by newborns. Physiology and Behavior, 199, 88–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.11.008

Video