PregnacyNCT07149766
Breast Crawling and Breastfeeding Success
A study testing Breast crawling in people with Pregnacy and Newborn, run by Sakarya University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 40 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Pregnacy, Newborn, Breastfeeding
- What is being tested?
- Breast crawling
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 25 Aug 2025to 20 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 40 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Being over 18 years of age,
- Volunteering to participate in the study,
- Ability to speak, write, and understand Turkish,
- No communication difficulties,
- Having had a spontaneous vaginal delivery,
- Primigravida giving birth for the first time,
Show all 12Show fewer
- The baby was given to the mother within the first hour after birth,
- Having a full-term, singleton, and healthy newborn,
- No condition preventing breastfeeding in either mother or baby.
- The baby was born with an APGAR score of 7 or higher,
- The baby had no tongue, lip, or mouth anomalies,
- Coordination of sucking, rooting, and swallowing was present.
Who cannot join
- The mother did not want to participate in the study or wished to terminate the study,
- The mother had a postpartum emergency requiring medical intervention.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
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
- Being tested
- Breast crawling
- Medical subject headings
- Breast Feeding
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Breast crawlingOther
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| intervention group | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Breast crawling |
| Control group | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Postpartum Comfort Scale
Description: Measures physical, psychological, and environmental comfort after childbirth. (The scale is a 34-item Likert-type scale. The lowest possible score is 34, and the highest is 170. A higher score indicates higher postpartum comfort.)
Measured: Within the first 24 hours postpartum
Postpartum Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale
Description: Evaluates the mother's confidence in her ability to breastfeed successfully. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 14, and the maximum score is 70. The scale has no cut-off point, and a higher score indicates higher breastfeeding self-efficacy.
Measured: At 24 hours postpartum
Secondary outcomes (1)
Demographic Information Form
Tool: Mother and Infant Demographic Information Form
Description: Includes maternal age, parity, delivery mode, gestational week, newborn Apgar scores, birth weight, and gender.
Purpose: To identify potential confounding variables and describe the study population.
Measured: baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Sep 2025
- Study start25 Aug 2025
- Primary completion15 Nov 2025
- Study completion20 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for PregnacyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Sakarya UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Sakarya University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, öznur tiryaki, Sakarya University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07149766
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Zehra Tostanoğlu
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 18 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 2 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: For ethical reasons, patient information may be shared upon reasonable request without revealing their identities for security reasons.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Breast Crawling and Breastfeeding Success
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07149766
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Zehra Tostanoğlu
- Conditions
- Pregnacy, Newborn, Breastfeeding
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Sakarya UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 25 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 20 Dec 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| intervention group | Experimental | Other: Breast crawling |
| Control group | No intervention | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 40 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (12 listed)
- Being over 18 years of age,
- Volunteering to participate in the study,
- Ability to speak, write, and understand Turkish,
- No communication difficulties,
- Having had a spontaneous vaginal delivery,
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- The mother did not want to participate in the study or wished to terminate the study,
- The mother had a postpartum emergency requiring medical intervention.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Breast crawlingThe 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. | Other | intervention group |
Primary outcome
Postpartum Comfort Scale
Time frame: Within the first 24 hours postpartum
Description: Measures physical, psychological, and environmental comfort after childbirth. (The scale is a 34-item Likert-type scale. The lowest possible score is 34, and the highest is 170. A higher score indicates higher postpartum comfort.)
Postpartum Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale
Time frame: At 24 hours postpartum
Description: Evaluates the mother's confidence in her ability to breastfeed successfully. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 14, and the maximum score is 70. The scale has no cut-off point, and a higher score indicates higher breastfeeding self-efficacy.
1 secondary outcome
Demographic Information Form
Time frame: baseline
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Jan 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. For ethical reasons, patient information may be shared upon reasonable request without revealing their identities for security reasons.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Breast crawling in people with Pregnacy and Newborn, run by Sakarya University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 12 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Postpartum Comfort Scale (time frame: Within the first 24 hours postpartum). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jan 2026.