The effect of odors on human newborn infants under stress

Olfaction in the fetal and premature infant: functional status and clinical implications

“…They obtained a reduced expression of pain in healthy prematures after heel-stick administration in the presence of a familiar odor, but not with a novel odor or a blank stimulus. Other researchers reported absence of an increase in salivary cortisol after heel-stick in newborns when this was performed in the presence of either lavender or a synthetic milk odor [139]. Thus, odors may be of help in pain control in infants, and current evidence tends to designate stimulus familiarity as the major determinant.…”

The effects of olfactory stimulation and gender differences on pain responses in full‐term infants

“…In subsequent experiments, the familiar odour of mother's milk or vanilla had a calming effect on full‐term infants undergoing a heelstick procedure and the odour of the infant's mother's milk was more effective than the scent of milk from another lactating woman . In a further study, the behavioural responses of full‐term infants to heelsticks were not significantly affected by the unfamiliar odour of lavender, but cortisol levels were lower in the group exposed to the odour .…”

“…However, in the above‐cited investigations of the effects of olfactory stimulation on pain responses, only Kawakami et al. assessed possible gender effects. These authors found no significant differences between infant boys and girls.…”

Neonatal Activation of Alcohol‐Related Prenatal Memories: Impact on the First Suckling Response

“…Indeed, the affective valence of early associative memories seems to depend on age or mode of expression of the memory (Roth and Sullivan, 2001;Sullivan et al, 2000). For example, it is difficult to determine whether neonatal reexposure to cineole activates an alcohol-related memory with an appetitive valence, leading to heightened responsiveness to the CS, or, on the contrary, an aversive valence that might promote attachment to the nipple as a mean of obtaining calming effects ((Blass and Fitzgerald, 1988;Kuwakami et al, 1997).…”