Impact of breast milk on cortical pain response in newborns during the heel prick procedure: a randomized controlled trial

To investigate the effects of breast milk on cortical pain response and behavioral response in newborns during heel-prick procedure.

A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted on healty-term newborns, undergoing heel blood sampling. Infants were randomly assigned to study group with receive orally 2 ml breast milk (n = 45) or a control group with no intervention (n = 45). A near-infrared spectroscopy device was used to monitor regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂), while neonatal pain expression was assessed by Neonatal Pain, Agitation, and Sedation Scale (N-PASS).

The N-PASS score (p = 0.001) and the crying time (p = 0.017) were significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group. Although the mean rScO₂ values decreased in both groups during the procedure, the percent change in rScO₂ was not significant difference between two groups.

Breast milk administration decreases behavioral responses to a noxious stimulus without reducing the cortical response to pain.

This trial was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier no. NCT05961904.