Effect of Breastfeeding on Pain Relief among Infants during Intramuscular Vaccination

Background: Intramuscular administration of vaccines in infants is common to induce immunity against preventive diseases. Nevertheless, it increases anxiety and pain distress in infants, which has to be minimised. Not many studies have implicated the role of breast feeding on pain distress. Objective: Study was designed to observe the pain related behavioural changes associated with breast feeding in infants post vaccination. Methodology: This quasi-experimental study involved 60 infants (1-12 months) attending outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital for vaccination. Infants were administered for Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccine, experimental group (n=3) could breast feed for 3 mins post vaccination whereas the control group (n=30) was observed without any breast feeding post vaccination. Socio-demographic data was noted, and behavioural change pattern was scored as per Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) for infants. Significance of behaviour change and association of changes with socio-demographic variables were assessed by Chi-square test with Monte-Carlo simulation. Results: Infants with age group of less than6 months were majorly present in both the groups with less than5 kg weight. Significant difference in crying, facial patterns, arm, and leg movements (Pless than0.001), and state of arousal (P=0.004) was observed between the experimental and the control group. Breathing patterns had no significant variation in both groups (P=1). Experimental group infants showed mild to no pain (n=24) after vaccination, while control group showed severe pain (n=30). Conclusion: Thus, breast feeding has induced behavioural change pattern in infants after vaccination which minimally reduces the anxiety and non-adherence to future medical fears.