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Newborn pain can be caused by circumcision, birth trauma, infection, surgery, and medical procedures. Premature and medically fragile babies in neonatal intensive care units are particularly vulnerable. Pain can be assessed through physical signs and treated with local anesthetics, medication, and non-medical techniques. Caregivers should debunk myths about newborn pain.
The most common causes of newborn pain include circumcision, trauma during birth, infection and the procedures needed to treat it, and pain following infant surgery. If a baby requires breathing or tube feedings due to a medical condition at birth, it can cause newborn pain that can be addressed. Injections, intravenous lines, or any other procedure that breaks the skin usually cause pain in the newborn. Some babies experience painful colic that usually subsides after three months.
Babies born prematurely or with a serious medical condition at birth commonly receive treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit. Many of the procedures used in these specialized units result in newborn pain that can be assessed and treated. Sharp pain could result from more than a dozen procedures a day to regulate the child’s breathing and heart rate. If your child has had surgery for a birth defect, post-surgical pain is likely.
The infection, or sepsis, can infect a newborn before birth or within 28 days of birth. Obstetricians commonly screen pregnant women for signs of infection during their pregnancies. Abnormalities in the fetal heartbeat or breathing could indicate a viral or bacterial infection. In severe cases, a baby may be born too ill to nurse or breathe on their own, which may require a feeding tube and ventilation device.
Assessing newborn pain can be difficult because the baby is unable to communicate with caregivers. Doctors and nurses generally use assessment tools to determine if a child is in pain or just upset. These observations measure physical signs that might indicate pain in the newborn, along with the general understanding that a procedure that causes pain in an adult is likely to cause pain in infants.
Changes in heart rate and blood pressure typically indicate pain. If the child sweats, cannot sleep, and cries persistently, a pain assessment is usually done. A child experiencing discomfort might also clench their hands and their arms and legs might flex. The baby may also turn red in the face and show tension in his muscles.
Treatment for infant pain involves local anesthetics used before a painful procedure, such as circumcision, is performed. If the pain appears mild, acetaminophen may be given to ease the baby’s discomfort. For chronic pain, especially after surgery, morphine and other medications are commonly used in NICUs. Healthcare professionals also try to reduce or avoid painful procedures unless they are absolutely necessary.
Even non-medical techniques could relieve pain. Some children respond to a quiet, dimly lit room after a painful procedure. Others receive comfort by swaddling or rocking. Critical care nurses commonly use pacifiers or direct a baby’s thumb to their mouth to comfort a baby who is exhibiting pain symptoms.
Caregivers commonly attempt to debunk myths about newborn pain. Some people believe there is no way to determine if a child is in pain because babies cannot communicate. Observational and physical tools that assess neonatal pain could refute this theory.
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