Clinical Handbook of Neonatal Pain Management for Nurses by Tara Marko MSN RNC-NIC Michelle Dickerson MSN-Ed RNC-NIC RN-BC

Author:Tara Marko, MSN, RNC-NIC,Michelle Dickerson, MSN-Ed, RNC-NIC, RN-BC
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 2016-09-03T01:30:00+00:00

FIGURE 7.1.Facilitated tucking using a blanket and a commercial swaddler.

FIGURE 7.2.How to swaddle using a commercial swaddler.

FIGURE 7.3.Facilitated tucking using a positional aid product (such as the Philips “Snuggle Up”).

TOUCH

The power of touch and its healing properties have been utilized for centuries. Recent scientific studies have demonstrated the healing properties of touch. In a study published in 1993, preterm infants experienced a consistent decrease in plasma cortisol levels after massage. Eleven stable infants with a median gestational age of 29 weeks, median birth weight of 980 grams, and median postnatal age of 20 days were studied. Blood samples were obtained to determine levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol 45 minutes before the start of massage and approximately 1 hour after completion of massage. Cortisol, but not catecholamine, concentrations decreased consistently after massage (median difference −35.8 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval, −0.5 to −94.0; Wilcoxon matched pairs; Acolet et al., 1993). A more recent study of 59 preterm infants was conducted using Yakson (a Korean touching method) and Gentle Human Touch (a technique used in the United States). The researchers set out to test urine stress hormones and behaviors of infants who had received these healing interventions. The study did not find a quantitative reduction in stress in neonates (through the urine stress hormone levels), but did find an increase in sleep states and a decrease in awake and fussy states (Im & Kim, 2009).

Healing touch, Reiki, and therapeutic touch are among many popular Eastern methods of tactile pain reduction that are used in the adult population, but are gaining recognition for use in neonates.

Other methods, such as craniosacral therapy, chiropractic adjustments, and the Alexander technique, are also new therapies for neonates. Although relatively new, many of these techniques have been around for a long time and have proven successful in adults.

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