Premature babies are put in incubators and have to undergo various medical procedures to keep them alive, but cannot always be given painkillers.
Keystone / Attila Balazs
If a mother speaks to her premature baby during a medical intervention, signs of the baby’s expression of pain decrease, research has found.
The baby’s level of oxytocin – the hormone involved in attachment and also linked to stress – also rose significantly, says a press release on Friday from the University of Geneva (UNIGE).
The research, conducted by a UNIGE team in collaboration with Italy’s Parini Hospital and the University of Valle d’Aosta, demonstrates the importance of parental presence with premature babies, who are subjected to intense stress from birth, according to the press release.
Babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks of gestation) are separated from their parents and placed in an incubator, often in intensive care. They are subjected to various medical interventions such as intubation, insertion of a feeding tube and blood sampling, but it is not always possible to give them pharmaceutical painkillers because of potential impacts on their neurological development.
Other ways to try and relieve the baby include putting them in bags and wraps to keep them warm, sugar solutions or non-nutritive sucking with a teat. But for several years now, studies have shown that the presence of a mother or father has a real calming effect on the child, particularly through the emotional modulations of the voice, says the press release.
For this latest research, the scientists followed 20 premature babies at the Parini Hospital in Italy and asked the mother to be present during the daily blood test, which is done by extracting a few drops of blood from the heel. The study was conducted in three phases over three days, allowing for comparison: a first injection was taken without the mother being present, a second with the mother talking to the baby and a third with the mother singing to the baby.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss study links excessive crying in infants to odour sensitivity
This content was published on
Swiss researchers have found that sensitivity to odours may explain up to half of the excessive and inconsolable crying in some infants.
In Switzerland, having a child is becoming a luxury
This content was published on
Women in Switzerland are having fewer children, and they are having them later. Our series on parenting in Switzerland explores why.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.