Unique salience of maternal breast odors for newborn infants

Human infants an particularly responsive to olfactory cues emanating from t heir mother's nipple/areola region. Beginning within minutes after birth, m aternal breast odors elicit preferential head orientation by neonates and h elp guide them to the nipple. Such odors also influence babies' general mot or activity and arousal, which may contribute further to successful nipple localization and sucking. The role of maternal olfactory signals in the med iation of early breast-feeding is functionally analogous to that of nipple- search pheromone as described in nonhuman mammals. To some extent, the chem ical profile of boast secretions overlaps with that of amniotic fluid. Ther efore, early postnatal attraction to odors associated with the nipple/areol a may reflect prenatal exposure and familiarization. Although newborns are generally attracted to breast odors produced by lactating women, breast-fed infants rapidly learn their mother's characteristic olfactory signature wh ile sucking at her breasts and can subsequently recognize her by that uniqu e scent alone. Early odor-based recognition may be an important factor in t he development of the infant-mother bond. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.