As hard as it is to believe, until fairly recently medical doctors insisted that tiny babies did not feel pain. Even now some doctors and nurses do not want to administer painkillers to babies, saying they don’t need them.

But mounting evidence, indicates that babies do feel pain. Monitoring their blood pressure and other indicators shows that they do. (Not to mention that it is just common sense!)

Furthermore, it is now know that experiencing extreme or chronic pain in infancy affects people in later on in life. Although they do not consciously remember pain in infancy. Babies who have experienced painful medical conditions go on to have greater sensitivity to pain in later life. They also are more prone to other conditions such as attention deficit disorder.

Even now very little is known about what painkillers to use for babies. All the research conducted on anesthesia has been done with adults.

Doctors, nurses and parents worry about treating babies with morphine and methadone, which are the normal treatments for adults in cases of acute pain. Sadly they often refuse to administer painkillers to babies who clearly need them.

Furthermore, in the past it was very difficult to tell when babies are in pain. They can’t talk, and they cry for many other reasons. It is still not easy, but in recent years some progress has been made.

New research nowadays is providing hope for a solution. Computer face recognition may soon make it possible to have computers monitor babies visually 24 hours a day to make sure they are not in pain. That is especially important for premature babies who often are subjected to repeated painful treatments.

Already some progress has been made, and the prospects look good.

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