Palliative care for newborns: Overview
Palliative (say "PAL-ee-uh-tiv") care is a kind of care for people who have a serious illness. Your baby may get this type of care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Palliative care focuses on improving your baby's quality of life. It also provides support for you and your family.
Palliative care may include medicine to reduce pain or other symptoms. But this type of care is different from treatment to cure an illness. Your baby can get care to treat an illness and get palliative care at the same time. You don't have to choose one or the other.
Many different staff members may be involved in palliative care. Your baby's care team may include doctors, nurses, social workers, and spiritual advisers.
You are a big part of the care team too. Your baby needs you. Your presence, your touch, and your voice are all important to your baby.
When do hospice and palliative care happen?
Palliative care: This care can happen at any time during a serious illness. You don't have to be near death to get this care.
Hospice care: In most cases, you can choose hospice care when your doctor believes that you have no more than about 6 months to live.
What medicines can relieve pain as part of palliative care?
The goal of good pain management is to have the least possible pain with the fewest side effects. Because each person responds to pain medicines in a different way, it may take more than one try to find the best medicines for you.
If your pain isn't severe, nonprescription medicines may help relieve it. These include acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
If these medicines don't help, your doctor may prescribe medicines called opioids. Opioids may be used with other medicines, such as NSAIDs or antidepressants, to treat your pain.
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