How P.E.I. parents can help reduce their babies' pain

A Dalhousie University researcher is looking for P.E.I. families to participate in a study about reducing pain in newborns and infants.

Brianna Richardson, a PhD candidate in Dalhousie's School of Nursing, has developed a website, Parenting Pain Away, that teaches techniques parents can use to reduce pain in their babies.

"There are many pain management options," said Richardson.

"The ones that I particularly like to focus on are ones where parents can actually be involved. So this could be through breastfeeding or skin to skin care where the baby is kind of only wearing a diaper and placed on either the mom or dad or parents, whoever it may be, their chest, and really just snuggled in there nice before a painful procedure."

Painful procedures are a part of necessary care for babies, said Richardson, and include needles and taking blood samples.

Pain can lead to problems later

Research has found that pain can have long-term implications.

"Untreated pain can actually impact how babies feel and react to pain later in life," said Richardson.

"Maybe having more anxiety, how they learn and how their brains grow. And then this early pain exposure has also been linked with fear related to needle procedures."

Richardson is looking for families who are expecting to use her website to learn about helping their infants get through painful procedures, and then report back to her about how helpful the website was when they actually have to deal with those procedures after the baby is born.

You can reach Richardson to take part in the study by emailing her or sending her a text at 1-902-900-9478.

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