[Breastfeeding, an analgesic technique for painful care that can be used in rehabilitation?]

Abstract

Pain management in infants is crucial during painful care. This work evaluates the effect of breastfeeding on procedural pain, measured by the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale score. A rapid review included nine randomized controlled trials (RCT) on PubMed, comparing breastfeeding with other techniques (maternal contact, sucrose, etc.). Breastfeeding significantly reduces pain compared with maternal contact, and is comparable in efficacy to sucrose. Despite methodological limitations, this simple and effective technique could be integrated into pain management in pediatric rehabilitation. Further studies are needed to clarify its benefits.