Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Neurobehavioral Functioning And Breastfeeding Behavior In The Newborn, Sharon Radzyminski

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objective: To determine whether central nervous system functioning has an effect on the normal, term infant's ability to breastfeed in the first day following birth. Design: Breastfeeding behaviors and neurobehaviors were evaluated at birth and at 24 hrs of age in two groups of neonates. One group of neonates was born to mothers who received epidural analgesia during labor, and one group was born to mothers who received no pain medication. Breastfeeding behavior was evaluated using the Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale, and the infant's neurobehaviors were evaluated using the Neurologic and Adaptive Capacity Score. Participants: Fifty-six breastfeeding mother-newborn dyads. …