The Neonatal Special Nurseries are involved in developing and providing care that nurtures the sensory system in the premature infants.  Parents are encouraged to participate in the care that fosters growth of their infant’s neurodevelopment.  The chemosensory environment (taste and smell) can have a permanent impact on an infant’s developing brain.  Newborns have a strong sense of smell and scents that have a positive effect on the infant’s chemosensory development are: breast milk, colostrum, amniotic fluid and mother’s natural odor.   A mother’s natural scent is also essential in the bonding process.

Exposure of an infant to his/her mother’s scent produces calming, pain-relieving, stimulatory and blissful reactions.  It helps sooth crying.  Mother’s scent helps the infant in feeding preparation, nipple acceptance, and sucking pattern and ability.  Because providing opportunities for exposure to mother’s scent is important, the NSN  encourages mother’s to engage in skin to skin with their babies as soon as they are medically ready and provide scent circles to be used by the infant in mother’s absence.  A mother providing breast milk promotes maternal scent as well as other benefits to the infant. Teaching mother about the unique role of maternal scent in sensory development is important.

Scent circles are a process improvement that was initiated by the NSN Family Advisory Council.  They learned of the need for infants to have exposure to maternal scent and found a way to provide the scent circles for families through volunteers making them.  All fleece material and labor to cut out the circles are provided by many volunteers.  Scent circles are provided in many colors so parents can pick the pattern and colors they would like for their infant.  To keep it fun, during March Madness scent circles were provided in KU and K-State patterns so parents could show their favorite team support.  Ann Hoyer is shown in the picture with examples of KU and K-State Scent Circles.