Horrifying New Study: Babies Feel Pain Like Adults But Most Not Given Pain Meds For Surgery

Last updated on: April 22, 2015 at 7:36 am by Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

Horrifying New Study: Babies Feel Pain Like Adults But Most Not Given Pain Meds For Surgery 2015-04-22T07:36:17-05:00 Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

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Well, this is horrifying.

The brains of babies ‘light up’ in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults. As recently as the 1980s it was common practice for babies to be given neuromuscular blocks but no pain relief medication during surgery. In 2014 a review of neonatal pain management practice in intensive care highlighted that although such infants experience an average of 11 painful procedures per day 60% of babies do not receive any kind of pain medication. Read More

Parents most commonly hear this canard when they’re preparing to have their boys circumcised but it applies to other procedures as well. Parents, PLEASE be sure to advocate for your children if they are having medical procedures of any kind. There are ways to safely manage your baby’s pain. Make sure your doc takes responsible steps to do so. For more help in becoming a parent who knows how to trust your instincts and understand what even your littlest child is trying to tell you, check out Then Comes Baby: The Catholic Guide to the First 3 Years of Parenthood and Parenting with Grace: The Catholic Parents’ Guide to Raising (almost) Perfect Kids.

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