Behavior, Infant, Development, Child, Development, Infant
Conditions
Keywords
maternal scent, infant behavior, feeding patterns, stress levels
Brief summary
To study the effect of maternal scent on the oral feeding, behavior and stress level of premature infants hospitalized in the Neonatal intensive care unit and to assess its potential effect on their development at 18 to 24 months.
Detailed description
Premature infants develop their sense of smell very early in the womb. After birth infants can recognize and distinguish the odor of their mother from their father and others. Premature infants are capable of smelling and they experience less pain and agitation when they smell their mother's milk; studies have shown that premature infants have better sucking and feeding, and they may go home earlier when they are exposed to the odor of breast milk. It is not known whether the same will happen if preterm infants are exposed to their mother's smell rather than the smell of the maternal milk.
Interventions
OTHERMaternal scent cloth
The babies assigned to the intervention group will have a cloth with their mother's scent on it placed under their heads.
Sponsors
American University of Beirut Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Days to 10 Days
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Mother of a baby who was born premature before completing 36 weeks of pregnancy * Baby between ages of 5-10 days * Medically stable baby * Baby already began feeding by mouth or by feeding tube
Exclusion criteria
* Medically unstable baby born after 36 weeks of gestation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Salivary cortisol level | Two years | The saliva will be collected from infant mouth after enrollment the first day before placing the scented cloth under the infant's head and the second after the exposure to the second cloth. Levels will be compared before and after and between groups. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Physiological parameters: Heart rate and respiratory rate | Two years | Infant's heart rate and respiratory rates will be measured. |
| Achievement of oral feeding | Two years | The number of days to reach oral feeding of all prescribed feeds will be recorded from the infant medical record, this will be compared between the intervention and control group. |
Countries
Lebanon
Contacts
Primary ContactSaadieh Masri, RN
Outcome results
None listed