Could a drop of breast milk ease needle pain in premature babies?

NCT ID NCT07716813

Not yet recruiting Symptom relief Sponsor: Mersin University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study compares giving premature infants a small amount of breast milk, 10% dextrose, or 20% dextrose by mouth, along with gentle positioning, during a routine heel prick blood test. The goal is to see which approach best reduces pain and stabilizes heart rate, breathing, and oxygen levels. The trial enrolls stable preterm babies born between 33 and 37 weeks who are less than a week old.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: oral breast milk or dextrose solution (10% or 20%) given with supportive positioning
What this could lead to: If effective, this could provide a simple, drug-free way to reduce pain and stress in premature infants during routine blood tests.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage trial with 96 infants, so results may not apply broadly. Pain is subjective and hard to measure in newborns, and the effects may be modest.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia Pain Premature Birth

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

BREAST MILK NEWBORN CARE PAIN MANAGEMENT PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING NEWBORN CARE İN NEWBORN'S PREMATURE

Contacts and locations

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Locations

Mersin University

Mersin, 33343, Turkey (Türkiye)

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