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Breast Crawling and Breastfeeding Success

NCT07149766 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 80

Last updated 2026-01-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Breast crawling, also referred to as the newborn's self-attachment, was first observed in 1977 and described as the "first important sucking behavior". During the first hour after birth, the newborn exhibits instinctive movements aimed at locating and attaching to the breast. In 1987, Swedish researchers Widström et al., and later in 1990, Righard and Alade, detailed these behaviors through systematic observation.

They found that when a newborn is placed prone on the mother's abdomen immediately after birth-while the mother is in a supine position-the baby begins to engage rooting and stepping reflexes. These reflexes typically lead the baby to begin crawling toward the breast around 29 minutes after birth, with effective suckling starting approximately 50 minutes postpartum.This instinctual behavior, observed in the first hour of life when the newborn is most alert and active, has been well documented in the literature as "the breast crawl." It demonstrates the neonate's innate capacity to find and latch onto the mother's breast using biological reflexes when uninterrupted.

Righard and Alade emphasized that routine hospital practices often interrupt this natural sequence, which may negatively impact the breastfeeding process. They underlined the importance of preserving the immediate postnatal hour, a critical window in which these behaviors are most likely to occur and support early breastfeeding success.

Conditions

  • Pregnacy
  • Newborn
  • Breastfeeding

Interventions

OTHER

Breast crawling

The newborn will be placed on the mother's abdomen for no more than 60 minutes, during which breast crawling and suckling behaviors will be observed. Throughout this period, the researcher will maintain active communication with the mother, providing information on the importance of breastfeeding. The mother will be gently guided to support the baby when necessary, without interfering with the baby's natural instincts. The newborn's heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature will be recorded at birth and at the 60th minute.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Sakarya University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
40 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-08-25
Primary Completion
2025-11-15
Completion
2025-12-20

Countries

  • Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07149766 on ClinicalTrials.gov