A targeted study of 16 infants based on these observations has shown that these effects can be induced experimentally through a researcher directing a baby with areolar gland scent on a stick.

[3] Areolar glands make oily secretions (lipoid fluid) that keep the areola and the nipple lubricated and protected.

[1] Areolar glands, especially during pregnancy and lactation, emit odors that reliably cause newborn babies to face the breast and locate the nipple.

Cleaning the breast or otherwise masking these scents makes it harder for newborns to find the nipple, and to get an important first drink of immunoprotective colostrum.

[4] This is a neutral condition that rarely represents any underlying problem, unlike the spontaneous flow of milk from the breast.