A.-S. Matthiesen

Gastric Suction in Healthy Newborn Infants Effects on Circulation and Developing Feeding Behaviour

ABSTRACT. Gastric emptying of newborn infants is a procedure performed to prevent aspiration of gastric contents. The present investigation was conducted to study the effects of gastric suction on circulatory and behavioural parameters in 21 healthy newborn children (11 cases, 10 controls). A small elevation in mean arterial blood pressure was observed during gastric suction. The incidence of retching was also increased. In all children spontaneous sucking and rooting movements, as well as state of sleep and wakefulness were recorded. In the control group spontaneous sucking and rooting movements started to occur 15 min after birth and reached a maximum at 45 and 60 min, respectively. The first hand to mouth movement was observed after a mean of 34 min and the infants found the nipple and started to suckle at about 55 min. This sequence of prefeeding behaviour was disrupted in children who had undergone gastric suction. The physiological side‐effects induced by gastric suction are minor, but it seemed to be unpleasant for the child and no clear advantages are gained by the procedure.

Skin‐to‐skin contact may reduce negative consequences of “the stress of being born”: a study on temperature in newborn infants, subjected to different ward routines in St. Petersburg

Aim: To evaluate how different delivery‐ward routines influence temperature in newborn infants. Methods: A total of 176 newborn mother‐infant pairs were included in a randomized study. The babies were kept skin‐to‐skin on the mothers chest (Skin‐to‐skin group), held in their mothers arms, being either swaddled or clothed (Mothers arms group), or kept in a cot in the nursery, being either swaddled or clothed (Nursery group). Temperature was measured in the axilla, on the thigh, back and foot at 15‐min intervals at from 30 to 120 min after birth. Results: During this time period the axilla, back and thigh temperatures rose significantly in all the treatment groups. The foot temperature displayed a significant fall in the babies in the Nursery group and this decrease was greatest in the swaddled babies. In contrast, foot temperature rose in the babies in the Mothers arms group and in particular in babies in the Skin‐to‐skin group. Foot temperature remained high in the Skin‐to‐skin group, whereas the low temperature observed in the Nursery group gradually increased and two days after birth the difference was no longer significant.

Personality factors and emotional responses to pregnancy among IVF couples in early pregnancy: a comparative study.

Background. Little is known as to whether negative experiences associated with infertility and IVF treatment persist after successful treatment. The aim of the study was to compare couples who have conceived after IVF and couples who have conceived naturally regarding personality factors and emotional responses to pregnancy.

Somatostatin Levels in Plasma in Nonsmoking and Smoking Breast-Feeding Women

ABSTRACT. The objective of the study was to record how somatostatin levels in plasma are altered in response to breast‐feeding during the lactation period and to relate somatostatin levels to the success of the lactational performance and to smoking habits. Fifty‐two women were investigated 4 days post partum and 3‐4 months later. Blood samples were collected and the levels of somatostatin‐like immunoreactivity (below referred to as SLI) were measured with radioimmunoassay. The periods of exclusive breast‐feeding and of mixed feeding were assessed as well as the milk yield. Smoking habits were noted. SLI levels were found to be significantly lower on day 4 after delivery, compared to 3‐4 months later. Also the type of response to breast‐feeding was different. Thus, a significant fall of SLI was seen during breast‐feeding at the maternity unit, but not 3–4 months later. Smoking women breast‐fed fully for a significantly shorter time than nonsmokers and had significantly higher SLI levels at onset of breast‐feeding day 4 post partum. Whether the high somatostatin levels recorded in connection with breast‐feeding in smokers are related to the shorter period of breast‐feeding seen in this group remains to be established. In addition, the highest levels of somatostatin were seen the day after the very last breast‐feeding and a possible role for somatostatin in the weaning process should be explored.

Gastric Aspirates of Newborn Infants: pH, Volume and Levels of Gastrin‐ and Somatostatin‐Like Immunoreactivity

ABSTRACT. The aim of the present investigation was to study volume, pH and the levels of gastrin‐ and somatostatin‐like immunoreactivity in gastric aspirates obtained immediately after birth from 25 healthy infants. In addition, the same parameters were measured in amniotic fluid collected from 11 of the mothers. The median volume of the gastric contents was 4 ml (range 0–11) and median pH was 6.96 (range 2.77–9.58). Gastrin and somatostatin median concentrations were 8 pM (range 0–52) and 67 pM (range 15–>1000), respectively. The corresponding levels in amniotic fluid were 8.2±3.6 pM and 28.4±5.3 pM, median pH was 9.22 (range 8.05–9.58). There was a significant correlation between volume and pH of gastric contents. The pH of the gastric aspirate was inversely correlated with the somatostatin levels. No correlation could be demonstrated as regards levels in amniotic fluid and gastric content. Gastric content and amniotic fluid were not correlated regarding pH, gastrin and somatostatin. It is suggested that the foetus drinks about 10 ml portions of amniotic fluid which are gradually emptied from the stomach and that these drinking episodes are associated with gastric exocrine and endocrine secretion normally seen following feeding after birth.

Maternal somatostatin levels and their correlation with infant birth weight.

Samples of blood were obtained from 52 primiparous breast-feeding women 4 days post partum. Thirty-six of the mothers were still breast-feeding 3–4 months later and had further blood samples taken. Somatostatin levels were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. A highly significant rank correlation (P = 0.0001) between average somatostatin levels on the two occasions was established, although somatostatin levels recorded 3–4 months post partum were significantly higher than those found 4 days post partum (P < 0.01). Furthermore, somatostatin levels obtained 4 days and 3–4 months post partum were inversely related to the birth weight of their children (P = 0.006 and P = 0.03). The significant negative correlation between somatostatin levels recorded 4 days post partum and birth weight of the infants persisted only when non-smokers were investigated. A strong positive correlation between infant birth weight and weight of placenta was found (P = 0.0001) and a negative correlation (P = 0.04) between somatostatin levels and placental weight. A stepwise regression was performed to explain the importance of somatostatin levels in birth weight. Somatostatin levels and smoking had an almost equal influence on the variation in birth weight (∼0%). It is suggested that low maternal somatostatin levels are related to an efficient storage of nutrients in the fetoplacental unit, thereby leading to a high birth weight.