What is this project?
Later this year, we will be running an important campaign to promote the benefits of parental touch for premature or sick babies during their time in neonatal care. This will include highlighting the positive effects that certain types of parental touch (e.g. comfort holding and parental stroking) can have on babies’ experience of uncomfortable or painful procedures.
We are working with a research team at the University of Oxford who are studying the positive effects that parental stroking (massaging) can have on babies during certain painful procedures.
It’s an unfortunate reality that babies in neonatal care can frequently experience painful procedures as part of their life-saving care. The team has been conducting a trial with more than 100 families and babies. They want to see if parental touch (stroking) is an effective treatment for reducing the pain babies experience during painful procedures.
Visit for more information on the research - Petal: Parental touch trial
This project will help to promote their findings and support the adoption of parental touch as standard care practice.