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Abstract
Background: Evidence suggests that infants feel pain, and painful experiences may lead to subsequent increased pain sensitivity. Owing to concerns regarding the potential adverse effects of pharmacological interventions in newborns, effective alternatives for pain control are being sought.
Aim: The Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) was used to determine the analgesic effect of breastfeeding during venepuncture.
Methods: The study was of cross-over design where each neonate served as his/her own control. Median pain scores during venepuncture when neonates were being breastfed (BF) were compared with those when neonates were not being breastfed (NBF). The site of venepuncture and number of previous venepunctures were noted. Pain was assessed using NIPS.
Results: In all, 38 term neonates (25 male, 13 female) were recruited. Mean (SD) age and weight were 8.42 (8.74) days and 2.89 (0.67) kg, respectively. The median pain score (interquartile range) of the neonates when breastfed was 1.50 (1–2), and 4.00 (2–6) when not breastfed (p=0.0001). The Kruskal–Wallis H-test did not show statistically significant differences between the BF and NBF groups when the number of previous punctures (p=0.57, p=0.27) and site of venepuncture (p=0.71, p=0.77) were considered.
Conclusion: Using NIPS, it has been demonstrated that breastfeeding is analgesic in neonates during venepuncture and previous venepuncture/s and site of venepuncture do not seem to affect pain scores. Breastfeeding should be the first-choice analgesic during painful procedures in neonates.