Early Postpartum Maternal and Newborn Responses to Auditory, Tactile, Visual, Vestibular, and Olfactory Stimuli

Objective: To compare maternal psychological well-being, newborn behavior, and maternal and newborn salivary oxytocin (OT) and cortisol before and after two maternally administered multisensory behavioral interventions or an attention control group. Design: Randomized prospective clinical trial. Setting: U.S. Midwest community hospital. Participants: Newborns and their mothers (n = 102 dyads) participated. Mothers gave birth vaginally at term gestation and had no physical or mental health diagnoses. Newborns with low Apgar scores, receipt of oxygen, suspected infection, or congenital anomalies were excluded. Methods: Dyads were randomly assigned to the auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular (ATVV) intervention, the ATVV with odor from a baby lotion (ATVVO), or the attention control (AC) Group. Maternal psychological well-being, newborn behavior, and endocrine responses (salivary cortisol and OT) were measured before and after the intervention. Results: Newborns in the ATVV and ATVVO groups exhibited increases in potent engagement behaviors (p <.0001 and p = .001, respectively). Newborns in the AC group exhibited a decrease in potent engagement (p = .013) and an increase in potent disengagement (p = .029). Mothers in the ATVVO group exhibited an increase in OT (p = .01) and the largest change in OT (p = .02) compared to mothers in the ATVV and AC groups. We noted no change in maternal psychological well-being or newborn endocrine responses. Conclusion: Inclusion of an odor via lotion with a behavioral intervention (ATVV) influenced maternal OT more than the behavioral intervention alone. Newborns were behaviorally responsive to the interventions; however, endocrine measures were not associated with intervention changes.

Automated summary

This study aimed to compare maternal psychological well-being, newborn behavior, and salivary oxytocin (OT) and cortisol levels in mothers and newborns before and after two multisensory behavioral interventions or an attention control group. The results showed that adding an odor to the behavioral intervention had a greater impact on maternal OT levels compared to the intervention alone. Newborns showed positive behavioral changes in response to the interventions, but there were no significant changes in endocrine measures.