Rachel I will be really interested to hear your comments after reading the
full article on the sucrose as analgesia for preterm babies paper.  I don't
know if anyone has separated the sucrose from the sucking before to see
whether it is the sucking that is keeping the baby preoccupied and
therefore not registering pain as acutely, rather than the hit of high
calories.  Can anyone enlighten me on that?
If that doesn't make a difference then I'd like to see the research
repeated using breastmilk instead of glucose water.  Using glucose water,
even in such insignificant volumes (0.1ml, repeated) is not Baby Friendly
and even in that quantity will make a difference to gut integrity in an
infant who has previously received nothing orally, or only breastmilk.

Nils Bergman's research showing the reduced cortisol levels when infants
(of any gestation) are being cuddled in kangaroo mother care style could be
highly significant to this issue too.  Many of you will recall the major
differences in type of birth that occurred when unsupported women in labour
were compared to women who were 'given' an untrained support person just to
sit with them and hold their hand.
Even in the highly technological world of a NICU (where only a small
fraction of the world's preterm infants are cared for) our first thought
should always be 'what's our natural instinct here' - and a crying baby
causes most people to want to pick them up and cuddle them.  I don't think
we should deny this reaction unless it really is an impossibility.

Denise

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Denise Fisher MMP, BN, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies Courses
http://www.health-e-learning.com

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