Coming in the April issue of PEDIATRICS:
Breastfeeding provides potent relief for the pain associated with standard
blood collection for newborn screening, according to the study,
"Breastfeeding is Analgesic in Healthy Newborns."  Two groups of infants
undergoing heel stick and blood collection procedures were observed for
crying, grimacing, and heart rate changes, which are symptoms used to measure
pain in newborns. In the breastfed group, crying was reduced by 91 percent,
grimacing was reduced by 84 percent, and heart rates were significantly
lower.

[For an interview on this study, please contact Larry Gray, MD, at
773/834-8925.]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Two other breastfeeding studies appear in the April issue of
Pediatrics. "Infant Acceptance of Breast Milk After Exercise" shows that
moderate or high-intensity exercise does not adversely affect babies'
acceptance of breast milk consumed an hour after exercise. "Correlates of
Lactation in Mothers of Very Low Birth Weight Infants" showed that mothers
with certain demographic characteristics are more likely to breastfeed their
very low birth weight infants longer than a few weeks.

Nancy
Nancy E. Wight MD, FAAP, IBCLC
Neonatologist, Children's Hospital and Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women
Medical Director, Lactation Services, Sharp HealthCare

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