What causes pain in premature babies?
Premature babies may experience pain because they are sick or injured in some way or from painful procedures, both diagnostic and therapeutic. So-called procedural pain might include needles for blood sampling. From a clinical point of view, procedural pain has an advantage: healthcare providers know in advance that pain is going to occur. This allows pain relief measures to be taken before the painful procedure. Caregivers in the NICU will attempt to minimize pain, whether it is a result of some form of injury or of a procedure.
