Development of Pain Behavior in the Fetus and Newborn

Abstract

Patients have the right to analgesia regardless of age. That right should be recognized and guaranteed by healthcare providers. The fetus and newborn cannot, however, express the need for analgesia. It is the clinician’s job to accurately assess surrogate measures of pain and deliver the appropriate analgesic intervention. The development of fetal surgery, increasing awareness of painful procedures in the perinatal period, and lasting neurological effects have raised the issue of neonatal and fetal pain management. Data from numerous studies have demonstrated that untreated or inadequately treated pain may cause altered long-term pain and somatosensory response in neonates.