Comparing the Effect of Kangaroo Care and Breastfeeding on Immunization Injection Pain in Infants

Introduction and

Infants often undergo painful procedures such as vaccination and blood sampling. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and breastfeeding methods may be desirable in order to create positive interaction between mother and child. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the analgesic effect of KMC and breastfeeding methods during immunization injections in infants.

In this randomized controlled trial, 180 infants undergoing DPT vaccination were divided randomly into three groups. Breastfeeding was performed from 2 minutes before, during, and one minute after the injection in breastfeeding group, while kangaroo mother care started 10 minutes before the injection and continued for one minute after the injection in KMC group. Symptoms associated with pain were evaluated using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), crying time, and latency to cry.

The mean severity of pain was 3.5±1.53, 4.38±1.37, and 5.43±0.96 in breastfeeding, KMC, and control groups, respectively, and their difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean crying times for breastfeeding, KMC, and control groups were 34.62±14.40 s, 49.87±26.57 s, and 61.17±22.08 s, respectively, which were significantly different (p < 0.001). The mean latency to cry showed no significant difference in the three groups (p = 0.927).

Both breastfeeding and KMC showed an analgesic effect in infants, but breastfeeding was more effective than KMC. Health care workers are recommended to encourage parents to use simple pain reduction methods for relieving pain, facilitating acceptance of mother, and promoting quality health care.