Caring for Babies During the Newborn Screening Blood Test

Newborn infants have blood work procedures in their first days of life that cause pain, distress and physiological changes. Breastfeeding (BF), skin to skin care (SSC), or giving sweet solutions (sucrose or glucose) has been shown to be effective for reducing babies' pain. However, recent studies of neonatal pain management practices demonstrate infrequent use of these strategies. There is a need for parent-targeted interventions, to support parents' involvement in comforting their infants during painful procedures. This pilot RCT will inform all aspects of a full-scale trial and will evaluate the effectiveness of the BSweet2Babies video when shown to parents of newborns prior to newborn screening, on subsequent use of effective pain reduction strategies during the newborn screening blood test. The participants will be randomized to either the control group (usual care), or to the intervention group and will be shown the brief BSweet2Babies video on caring for infants during blood work. The intervention group will be asked to complete a second survey after viewing the video. To evaluate the use of BF, SSC, or sucrose during newborn screening, the research assistant will collect data from the electronic medical record.