RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Effect of suckling on the peripheral sensitivity of full-term newborn infants JF Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition JO Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health SP F130 OP F131 DO 10.1136/adc.2006.097931 VO 92 IS 2 A1 Abdulkader, H M A1 Freer, Y A1 Fleetwood-Walker, S M A1 McIntosh, N YR 2007 UL http://fn.bmj.com/content/92/2/F130.abstract AB Background: Sucking may reduce the manifestations of pain in newborn infants. Objective: To examine the effect of suckling on the threshold for peripheral somatosensory responses. Subjects and methods: Graded Von Frey filaments were applied to the heel to initiate peripheral somatosensory responses (withdrawal reflex and gross body movements) in term infants. Results: Dummy sucking increases the somatosensory threshold, but breast feeding had a more marked effect, increasing the threshold of the flexion withdrawal reflex (p⩽0.002) and the threshold for gross body movements (p⩽0.002). Conclusion: Peripheral sensitivity of newborn infants is considerably reduced during sucking, particularly at the breast.