Which parent doesn't dread the first childhood vaccinations? That new, perfect baby skin and that scary needle are enough to make any postpartum mom cry... which is especially what babies also do. Sugar pills or a pacifier are the current "treatments" of choice to ease the pain a bit. But according to a new study, warmth reduces the reaction babies give to pain.
The small study published in the journal Pain used 47 healthy babies to test the theory. Those babies were divided into three groups for their Hepatitis B vaccine a sugar group, a sucking group (pacifiers) and a warmer group. The babies who were placed in medical infant warming systems before receiving their shot did better. They stopped crying sooner and some actually didn't cry at all. Their heart patterns were also followed, and those babies who had access to the warmer before their vaccines grimaced less and their heart rates returned to normal sooner after the procedure.
The study authors stated: "Providing natural warmth to newborn infants during a painful procedure decreases the crying and grimacing that normally accompanies a painful vaccination. We have shown that exposure to natural external warmth is as effective, if not more effective, as the analgesic and calming properties of sucrose taste and pacifier suckling."
That is certainly really interesting, isn't it? One has to wonder what the results would be like for infants who are in their mom's arms when they are vaccinated or have blood samples taken. Often, in medical settings, the baby is taken by a doctor and placed on a cold surface while they are vaccinated and the warmer idea seems to improve this. But surely, being held by a parent during the actual procedure would be a better option?
What do you think about this? What are your experience with infants and vaccines or other painful procedures?You may also like to read: What vaccines do babies receive after birth in hospital?
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