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 Your familiar touch.

Your gentle touch is soothing to your baby

Your touch and presence is very comforting for your baby! Simply holding your baby during painful procedures will help them feel calm and secure. (1)

Listed below are two ways that you can hold your baby, and some suggestions for how to make holding more effective at relieving pain.

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Holding

Holding your baby during procedures helps your baby know they are safe and feel secure.

Although breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact are recommended first, if you can't, holding your baby while using a sweet tasting solution is a good option.

Hold you baby upright with their head resting on your shoulder and snuggle your baby. You should hold them before, during, and after the painful procedure. (2)

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Facilitated Tucking

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Facilitated tucking is a way to provide a firm, but gentle touch to your baby. When held this way, babies feel secure. You may use facilitated tucking with sweet tasting solutions whenever your baby cannot be held during procedures. (1)

Facilitated tucking means that your baby’s arms and legs are held in a comfortable bent position close to their body.

This “tucking” helps your baby better regulate their feelings and lower their stress by mimicking the same position they are familiar with from the womb.

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It is important to remember that familiar touch alone are not as powerful of a pain reliever as skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. Use a combination of pain relief measures together for maximum pain relief. (1)

Try any of the following ways to comfort your baby, together with familiar touch:

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Non-nutritive Sucking

The act of sucking is soothing to your baby. Let your baby suck on your clean finger or a soother for added comfort.

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Swaddle

When a baby is swaddled in a blanket, they feel secure. This can help calm them, since feeling secure can help regulate their response to pain.

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Sweet Tasting Solution

The sweet taste of sucrose water can help your baby manage pain. (3) This is key way to provide comfort that could be used alone or combined with familiar touch.

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Scented Cloth

Your scent is familiar to your baby. When your scent is passed on to a piece of soft cloth, your baby can recognize your smell. (4)

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Have you explored all of the ways to comfort your baby?

 
 
 

References

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Stevens, B., Yamada, J., Ohlsson, A., Haliburton, S., & Shorkey, A. (2016). Sucrose for analgesia in newborn infants undergoing painful procedures. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (7). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001069.pub5
  4. Loos, H. M., Reger, D., & Schaal, B. (2019). The odour of human milk: Its chemical variability and detection by newborns. Physiology and Behavior, 199, 88–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.11.008