The effect of baby odor on mother's milk amount, salivary cortisol level and mother-baby attachment: Randomized controlled study

ABSTRACT Title: The Effect of Infant Scent on Maternal Milk Supply, Salivary Cortisol Levels, and Mother-Infant Bonding: A Randomized Controlled Study Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of exposing mothers to the scent of their premature newborns who cannot breastfeed on maternal milk supply, salivary cortisol levels, and mother-infant bonding. Method: It is a randomized controlled experimental study. The research was conducted with mothers of premature newborns hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Bursa City Hospital. The study included two groups: an experimental group and a control group. It was completed with a total of 60 mothers, 30 in each group. To collect data, the following tools were used: the "Infant and Mother Descriptive Information Form," the "Mother Follow-up Form," the "Mother Salivary Cortisol Level Form," and the "Mother-Infant Bonding Scale." The data were analyzed using the SPSS software package. Results: The average breast milk volume of mothers in the intervention group was higher than that of the control group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In both groups, breast milk volume on the 3rd and 4th days increased significantly compared to the 1st and 2nd days (p<0.05). While there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of pre-test and post-test bonding scale scores (p>0.05), it was found that post-test bonding scores significantly decreased compared to pre-test scores in both groups (p<0.05). Additionally, no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of pre-test and post-test salivary cortisol levels (p>0.05).