Newborn pain responses to even a heel prick

How many times have we heard people say "Oh, Newborn babies don't feel pain the way we do".....No, maybe it's actually worse!!!

A new study, published in the journal Pain, shows that even a routine heel-stick test can be painful enough for some newborns to trigger an increase in potentially harmful free radicals in the blood.

The findings, published in the journal Pain, do not mean that a single heel stick -- done routinely to test newborns for certain genetic disorders -- will cause harm. But researchers say they do raise concerns about newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), who undergo many painful procedures each day.

The study underscores the need to ensure that newborns have adequate pain relief during medical procedures, lead researcher Dr. Carlo Bellieni, of the University of Siena in Italy, told Reuters Health in an email.

It was once widely thought that newborns essentially do not feel pain from routine medical procedures. Research has proven that belief to be wrong, and guidelines from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics call on NICUs to do everything they can to limit tiny infants' pain -- including using topical anesthetics and non-drug tactics, like pacifiers dipped in sugar solutions.

But recent studies indicate that newborn pain management is "still far from satisfactory," Bellieni and his colleagues note in their report.

This is concerning not only because of the immediate pain and stress tiny infants suffer, but also because research suggests that repeated exposure to pain and stress early in life may have lasting effects -- including increased pain sensitivity later in life.

For their study, Bellieni and his colleagues measured two markers of free-radical production in 64 newborns having a routine heel stick to draw blood samples. Free radicals are potentially cell-damaging substances that may be generated in response to injury and stress; it has not been clear whether minor medical procedures boost their production in newborns.

The researchers found that, as a group, the infants showed no significant increase in free-radical production from the beginning of the heel-stick procedure to the end.

However, the findings were different when Bellieni's team focused on the 34 infants who showed a high pain response during the heel stick -- as measured by the babies' crying and distress.

These newborns did show an increase in free-radical generation.

The potential consequences of this increase are not clear, according to Bellieni. "Free radicals can provoke brain damage," he explained, "but no study has been performed to measure the threshold above which they may harm the baby."

A single heel stick would not be enough to cause damage, the researcher said. But he added that infants in the NICU may receive more than a dozen procedures a day, which may result in repeated free radical production -- the possible effects of which are unknown.

The findings, according to Bellieni, further the case for better pain management in NICUs......

HERE to read the entire article from The Calgary Herald


.....yet, male circumcision is still performed on tiny babies with barely any pain control at all. And Parents and Doctors seem to think that that is totally ok and acceptable!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!

High risks to infants through Vit K injection

An excellent and eye opening article on the topic of Vitamin K injections given at birth.

Getting ready for the arrival of our newest family member has spurred me forward in researching various birthing and newborn practices that we rarely think twice about. All 4 of my children have received the Vit K injection at birth. I assumed it was "necessary" and therefore didn't question it. But as has been proven to me over and over again, never ASSUME, never take someone else's word for it, without FIRST doing the research your self.

There are three primary areas of risk associated with the Vitamin K injections:

1. Inflicting pain immediately after birth causes psycho-emotional damage and trauma to a newborn, which is totally inappropriate, and unnecessary.

2. The amount of vitamin K injected into newborns is 20,000 times the needed dose[ii]. Additionally, the injection may also contain preservatives that can be toxic for your baby’s delicate, young immune system.

3. An injection creates an additional opportunity for infection in an environment that contains some of the most dangerous germs, at a time when your baby’s immune system is still immature.

I've posted several articles about the neurological impact of pain on the newborn, yet we tend to be blinded by the focus being on circumcision (and so it rightfully should be!!), and forget about other physical pains that are inflicted on our new born babies- such as injections.

And here's the twist: Vitamin K doesn't HAVE to be injected!! I CAN be taken orally! Well..... DUH! There is a first for me. .....and I'm off to research the availability of oral Vitamin K drops in Canada. (But I'll definitely let you know what I find out!!)

High Risks to Your Baby From Vitamin K Shot They Don't Warn You About

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 08 2009 | 517 views

It has been standard practice in the U.S., and most western countries, since 1944 to welcome babies into the world by subjecting them to a variety of medical interventions, one of which is a painful jab with a syringe full of vitamin K. This injection is routinely done to almost all newborns, unless you, as a parent, refuse to consent.

Birth is an overwhelming sensory experience for your baby. He has never before experienced cold or hunger, been blinded by artificial lights, or felt the touch of hands or metal instruments, paper or cloth. Even gravity is a foreign sensation.

A needle stick is a terrible assault to his suddenly overloaded sensory system, which is trying to adjust to the outside world.

Is this injection really in your baby’s best interest?

Is vitamin K really necessary immediately after birth? Or is there a more compassionate alternative?

HERE to read the entire article By Dr. Mercola