Secrets to Protect Your Child from Pain

Pediatricians inflict pain immediately after babies are born. They stick them in the thigh with a syringe of vitamin k, stick them in the foot to collect a blood sample, and for baby boys they remove their foreskin during circumcision. Every few months later after leaving the hospital, they get vaccines. These take place when the child is healthy.

For many years doctors believed that infants did not feel pain. They based these thoughts on the basis that when pricked on the feet, sleeping infants did not respond. Newborns received no pain medication during heart surgery, only paralytic drugs that made them be still. This occurred until the 80's . Dr. Kanwaljeet Amand MD of Arkansas Children's Hospital noticed an increase in pulse and blood pressure after cardiac surgery without pain medication. These babies seemed to be really stressed. Dr. Anand did a study around two decades ago that showed when proper anesthetics were used during heart surgery, infants death decreased. Because of the study, doctors now give general anesthetics to babies having surgery.

There are new studies that suggest that newborns circumcised without local anesthesia developed a post traumatic stress disorder. Newborns who received several blood tests became upset as soon as they felt an alcohol swab touched them according to the Journal of American Medical Association.

There are things that parents can do. A couple of days before going to your appointment, call and ask about their pain-free strategies. EMLA cream is a optical anesthesia that can be applied before that visit to numb the pain. You can get at most pharmacies. Apply and hour before the shots. Vapocoolant is a spray that cools the area of skin to reduce pain of shots and works very quickly. Similar to EMLA cream, Numb Stuff is also applied to the skin, uses along with a device o speed up absorption. I takes about fifteen minutes to work. You can also use a pacifier dipped in sugar water. It will distract the child from the shot. Start a few minutes before.

When it comes to infections like ear and throat , it takes a while for antibiotics to work. Therefore babies tend to be in pain for a few days until they kick in. For hospital procedures like fractures, minor surgeries or biopsies, ask your doctor if there is a pediatric sedation team. This team can give short-acting pain medicine to your child to less the stress and help them fall asleep.

source: www.parentsmag.com