Babies may show these same behaviors when they are upset or agitated but there is no reason to suspect pain, such as when they are being diapered or are having trouble breathing. There are now several tools designed to help determine when a baby is in pain. If a tool like this is used by the nurses in your nursery, becoming familiar with it may help you as a parent to understand your baby's responses when there is reason to suspect pain. There are a number of drugs that can be used for relieving the sensory experience of pain in babies. However, all drugs have disadvantages as well as benefits.
Different nurseries prefer different drugs.
To find out which drugs might be used for your baby, consult the nurses and physicians in your nursery. Sometimes, the physician or nurse may decide that using a drug to reduce pain is more harmful to the baby than the experience of pain. For example, drugs used for pain may cause the blood pressure to fall, impair the baby's ability to breathe, or hide a fever. There are a number of other ways to help relieve the sensory experience of pain and help the baby cope with the experience of pain or discomfort. Giving rhythmical, repetitive stimulation may block out painful sensations.