BREASTFEEDING is tied to large reductions in procedural pain in neonates, a new umbrella review has found.1
Researchers pointed to breastfeeding and the taste and smell of breast milk as promising strategies for managing pain in neonatal care.
Painful Procedures in Neonatal Care
Painful procedures are a common aspect of neonatal care.
However, repeated exposure is tied to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
In the comprehensive umbrella review, pain effect sizes from meta-analyses were reanalysed using random-effects models across various interventions and populations.
Effect of Breastfeeding
Out of analysed interventions, breastfeeding demonstrated the strongest pain relief, leading to reductions in pain scores, crying duration, and heart rate during procedural pain in neonates.
Further, breast milk sensory stimuli (odour and taste) also reduced behavioural and physiological pain indicators, particularly in preterm infants.
However, they had smaller impacts compared with breastfeeding.
Limitations
Researchers noted substantial heterogeneity across meta-analyses, caused by variation in populations, procedures, intervention timing, and outcomes measures.
Implications for Neonatal Care
Overall, however, breastfeeding and breast milk-related sensory interventions are effective, feasible, and safe nonpharmacological strategies for managing procedural pain in neonatal care, authors reported.
In fact, they pointed to the integration of breastfeeding or maternal milk sensory exposure as a first-line approach in pain management in neonatal settings.
Researchers also called for further studies around optimal timings, dosing, and combinations with other nonpharmacological interventions.
Beyond the Neonatal Period
Prior research has found that breastfeeding could also reduce pain during vaccination for infants beyond the neonatal period.2
In a study of more than 1,000 infants, breastfeeding consistently reduced behavioural indicators and composite pain scores during and after vaccination, pointing to benefits beyond the first 28 days of life.
References
1 Gök Ç, Karataş P. The effects of breastfeeding and the taste and smell of breast milk on pain reduction in infants: an umbrella review and reanalysis of meta-analytic evidence. Breastfeed Med. 2026;21(6):326–335.
2 Harrison D et al. Breastfeeding for procedural pain in infants beyond the neonatal period. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD011248.pub2.
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