Abstract
Nipple position is believed to influence breastfeeding success. To investigate this belief, submental ultrasound images were obtained during breastfeeding of normal term infants. This study measured nipple to hard-soft palate distance (NHSPD) in 18 mother-infant pairs during the first and fourth weeks of life. Median NHSPD was 5 mm (interquartile: 4, 6 mm). There were no significant differences in median NHSPD between first, second, and fifth minutes of feeding (P = .675) or between week 1 and week 4 (P = .320). The nipple was not stationary during feeding, with mean nipple movement of 4.0 -/+ 1.3 mm. Further research is required with more infants to confirm the boundaries of normality for ultrasound measurements of nipple position during successful breastfeeding.
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