Do babies feel pain? For decades, doctors did not provide pain relief for babies who needed procedures like circumcision or other minor surgery. Physicians thought that young infants couldn’t feel pain. Perhaps that is because the very young babies didn’t cry. Until recently, doctors thought that babies who were not crying were not in pain.
Discovering When Babies Feel Pain:
That is a faulty assumption, however, according to a new study presented at the American Pain Society Scientific Summit on March 5, 2018. The scientists reported that behavioral indicators like crying do not accurately reflect what the infant is feeling.
To get more accurate data from young babies who cannot say how they feel, researchers employed electromyography. This technique revealed responses to painful procedures that doctors did because they were clinically necessary. Premature infants used their entire bodies in an attempt to get away from the painful stimulus. Slightly older babies tended to withdraw only the affected limb.
Premies Are Especially Sensitive to Pain:
Electroencephalograms also confirmed that premature infants are very sensitive to pain and can easily become stressed, even if they do not cry. Perhaps it is time for clinicians to realize that babies feel pain, even in the earliest hours after birth. Doctors who treat such tiny patients should use as much care to relieve their pain as they would for older children. They may need to test pain medications carefully, however, to make sure they are helping and not causing complications.
