The Science

A mother's scent has a powerful soothing effect on babies due to its deep biological and emotional significance. Here’s why it works:

  1. Enhanced Feeding and Attachment – The scent of breast milk and the mother’s skin enhances mouthing reflexes and encourages feeding.1, 2
  2. Familiarity and Comfort – Babies recognize their mother’s scent from birth, as they are exposed to it in the womb and through breastfeeding. This familiar smell provides reassurance and a sense of security.3
  3. Regulation of Stress and Emotions – Studies show that a mother’s scent can lower cortisol (the stress hormone) in babies, helping to calm them when they are distressed.4
  4. Pain Relief – Research indicates that babies experience less pain when exposed to their mother’s scent, likely due to the calming effect it has on their nervous system.1
  5. Increased Health Outcomes – Neonates who were exposed to their mother’s scent experienced more weight gain compared to babies who were not exposed to the scent of their mother.5

References

1 Porter, R H. “The biological significance of skin-to-skin contact and maternal odours.” Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) vol. 93,12 (2004): 1560-2.

2 Sullivan, R M, and P Toubas. “Clinical usefulness of maternal odor in newborns: soothing and feeding preparatory responses.” Biology of the neonate vol. 74,6 (1998): 402-8. doi:10.1159/000014061

3 Marin, M M et al. “Two-day-old newborn infants recognise their mother by her axillary odour.” Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) vol. 104,3 (2015): 237-40. doi:10.1111/apa.12905

4 Bircan Tasci and Tülay Kuzlu Ayyildiz. “The Calming Effect of Maternal Breast Milk Odor on Term Infant: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Breastfeeding Medicine 2020 15:11, 724-730

5 Akkoca, Zehra et al. “The Effect of Neonates' Exposure to Their Mother's Scent on Weight Gain: A Randomized Controlled Study.” Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine vol. 17,1 (2022): 79-84. doi:10.1089/bfm.2021.0274