ECHO Study Suggests Link Between Maternal Stress During Late Pregnancy and Infant Pacifier Sucking Patterns

Author(s): Emily Zimmerman, Andréa Aguiar, et al.

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, the Office of the Director, and the National Institutes of Health.

Footnote: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

The researchers found that higher maternal stress during late pregnancy was associated with fewer but longer sucking bursts when the infants sucked on the special pacifier. It is important to note that the maternal stress levels and infants’ sucking behaviors between the two cohorts were different. This could be due to differences between the two cohorts’ cultures, geographical locations, ethnicities, incomes, and education levels.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

This is the first study investigating the link between maternal stress and infants’ sucking patterns. The results of this study may help promote awareness and earlier detection of stress exposure during pregnancy and, as a result, improve the treatment of stress-exposed infants. This study also researched these outcomes in two groups of participants with different demographics and stress levels, which may allow for earlier detection of high maternal stress exposure in lower SES populations.

Why was this study needed?

Previous studies show that a mother’s stress during pregnancy can affect her baby’s development. But less is known about how a mother’s stress during pregnancy relates to their infant’s brain function early in life. Infants’ sucking patterns have been used to measure brain function soon after birth. This study investigated whether there was any relationship between mothers’ stress in pregnancy and their young infants’ sucking patterns.

Who was involved?

The study included participants from two ECHO cohorts—one from Urbana-Champaign, Illinois and the other from Manati, Puerto Rico.

What happened during the study?

The researchers surveyed mothers regarding their stress during late pregnancy using the Perceived Stress Scale, which has 10 questions. Next, between one and eight weeks after the mothers gave birth, the researchers measured the infants’ sucking behaviors by having them suck on a pacifier connected to a pressure detector for approximately five minutes.

What happens next?

Future studies will look at the question of how early sucking behaviors relate to a child’s growth and development, in particular their brain function and cognitive development.

Where can I learn more?

Access the full journal article, titled “Examining the Association Between Prenatal Maternal Stress and Infant Non-Nutritive Suck” in Pediatric Research.

The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published December 16, 2021

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