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You protect your baby.

For a long time people believed that babies didn’t feel or remember pain, but we now know that isn’t true. Babies experience pain and when it’s not treated early in life, it can change how your baby reacts to pain throughout their childhood. As a parent, you have the power to comfort your baby when they are in pain. Research tells us that families have better outcomes when parents are involved in pain management with their babies during procedures. (1-12)

IWK ICU April Photography By Scott Munn 2019 Edit28794 copy.JPG

All babies experience pain during procedures, like their first blood test, in the first few days after being born.

Healthy babies may have 20 painful procedures during their first year.

You really have special abilities to manage this pain!

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Comforting your baby during procedures protects their developing brain!

Your voice, your touch, your heartbeat, and even the way you smell are familiar and comforting to your baby. Parents can reduce the impact of painful procedures by providing comfort before, during, and after painful procedures in hospital and in community health settings. (1,12)

Each lesson in Parenting Pain Away will help you better understand your role during painful procedures.

 

References

  1. Johnston, C., Disher, T., Benoit, B., Fernandes, A., Streiner, D., Inglis, D., … Inglis, D. (2017). Skin-to-skin care for procedural pain in neonates. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008435.pub3.Copyright

  2. American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Fetus and Newborn, Section on Surgery, and S. on A. and P. M., Canadian Paediatric Society: Fetus and Newborn Comittee, Batton, D. G., Barrington, K. J., & Wallman, C. (2006). Prevention and management of pain in the neonate: an update. Pediatrics, 118(5), 2231–2241. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-2277

  3. Ozawa M, Kanda K, Hirata M, Kusakawa I, Suzuki C. (2011). Influence of repeated painful procedures on prefrontal cortical pain responses in newborns. Acta Paediatr Int J Paediatr. 100(2):198-203. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2010.02022.x.

  4. Piira T, Champion GD, Bustos T, Donnelly N, Lui K. (2007). Factors associated with infant pain response following an immunization injection. Early Hum Dev. 83(5):319–326. doi:S0378-3782(06)00185-X.

  5. Taddio, A., Shah, V., Gilbert-MacLeod, C., & Katz, J. (2002). Conditioning and hyperalgesia in newborns exposed to repeated heel lances. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(7),857-861. doi:joc12153

  6. Taddio A, Shah V, Atenafu E, Katz J. (2009). Influence of repeated painful procedures and sucrose analgesia on the development of hyperalgesia in newborn infants. Pain. 144 (1–2):43–48. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2009.02.012.

  7. Kennedy, A., Basket, M., & Sheedy, K. (2011). Vaccine Attitudes, Concerns, and Information Sources Reported by Parents of Young Children: Results From the 2009 HealthStyles Survey. Pediatrics, 127(Supplement 1), S92–S99. https://doi.org/10.1542/PEDS.2010-1722N
  8. Parvez, E., Stinson, J., Boon, H., Goldman, J., Shah, V., & Taddio, A. (2010). Mothers’ beliefs about analgesia during childhood immunization. Paediatric Child Health, 15(5), 289–293.
  9. Taddio, A., Manley, J., Potash, L., Ipp, M., Sgro, M., & Shah, V. (2007). Routine Immunization Practices: Use of Topical Anesthetics and Oral Analgesics. Pediatrics, 120(3), e637–e643. http://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-3351
  10. Taddio, A., Ilersich, A. L., Ipp, M., Kikuta, A., & Shah, V. (2009a). Physical interventions and injection techniques for reducing injection pain during routine childhood immunizations: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials. Clinical Therapeutics, 31(SUPPL. 2). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2009.07.024
  11. Taddio, A., Shah, V., Leung, E., Wang, J., Parikh, C., Smart, S., … Franck, L. (2013). Knowledge translation of the HELPinKIDS clinical practice guideline for managing childhood vaccination pain: Usability and knowledge uptake of educational materials directed to new parents. BMC Pediatrics, 13(1), 1–9. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-13-23
  12. Pillai Riddell R, Racine N, Gennis H, Turcotte K, Uman L, Horton R, ...LisiD. (2015). Non-pharmacological management of infant and young child procedural pain. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, (12). https://doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006275.pub3.www.cochranelibrary.com