Baby Smell Visual Stimulus Program Cortical and Breast Oxygenation Milk Amount Mother-Infant Attachment

The Effect of Baby Smell and Visual Stimulus Program on Mothers' Cortical and Breast Oxygenation, Milk Amount and Mother-Infant Attachment: Randomized Controlled Study

In this study, the effect of infant odor and visual stimulus program applied to mothers who had delivered by cesarean section and whose babies were taken to the NICU on cortical and breast oxygenation (rSO2), amount of breast milk and mother-infant bonding was investigated.

One of the conditions that prevent the preterm baby from being close to the mother in the early period is cesarean delivery and subsequent removal to the NICU. In the first hour of life, the process immediately after birth, when the newborn is alert, makes eye contact, focuses, finds the unaided mother's breast and begins to feed, deteriorates in babies in need of intensive care and mothers begin the experience of parenting with delayed attachment. The mother experiences high levels of stress due to changes in many parental roles such as being physically separated from her baby, not being able to breastfeed effectively, not being able to care for her baby and the intensive care environment, and experiencing a delay in lactation with the effect of cesarean delivery. In the literature, many interventions have been implemented to reduce the negative effects of mother-infant separation on lactation and attachment in mothers who have given birth by cesarean section. However, there is no published research examining the effect of infant odor and visual stimulus program applied to mothers who had delivered by cesarean section and whose babies were taken to the NICU on cortical and breast oxygenation (rSO2), amount of breast milk and mother-infant bonding. In addition, being able to assess how the mother's cortical and breast oxygenation changes while smelling her baby's scent and watching her/his video will further strengthen the results of the measurement tools.

Inclusion Criteria:

Infant

• Born at 28-37 (36+6) weeks of gestation
• Admission to the NICU in the same hospital as the mother immediately after birth Mother
• To agree to participate in the study,
• To give birth by cesarean section,
• To be able to use the Turkish language,
• To pass the smell test (to correctly identify the 3 different types of smell presented),
• Not to have been diagnosed with depression etc. Psychiatry at the time of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

Infant

• The presence of conditions that affect the baby's original smell (baby born with Meconium, Hepatitis C and HIV infected baby)
• Infant who underwent interventional intervention in the head area
• The baby whose suction function is sufficient and who can suck breast milk

Mother

• Admission to Intensive Care,
• Being covid positive (as the sense of smell will be affected),
• Having a mental, neurological, nasal related disease,
• Having a communication problem