We will enroll 40 mother-infant dyads in a randomized trial exploring the effect of distribution of pacifiers during the birth hospitalization to mothers at high risk for postpartum depression on pacifier use, infant feeding, and maternal stress.
This study is a pilot a randomized controlled trial to determine if pacifier distribution affects breastfeeding among mothers at high risk for postpartum depression. We will recruit 40 mothers of healthy singleton births in a U.S. hospital who are at high risk of postpartum depression and randomly assign them to receive a pacifier or not. We will ascertain pacifier use, maternal stress, and infant feeding behaviors with web-based surveys at 2, 4, 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks. Mothers will also wear a wristband to detect maternal heart rate variability throughout the first 6 weeks as a marker of maternal stress.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE
Pacifier given to mom.
University of California Medical Center
Sacramento, California, United States
Infant Feeding - Breastfeeding Status
Mode of infant feeding: yes or no
Time frame: up to 24 weeks
Infant Feeding - Breastfeeding Duration
Breastfeeding duration overall (number of weeks mothers breastfed exclusively and at all)
Time frame: up to 24 weeks
Pacifier Use
Any use and frequency in the last 24 hours (7-point Likert scale)
Time frame: 2, 4, and 6 weeks
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