If you are reading this, you may have learned that your baby will be born with, or has developed, serious medical problems that we do not have good medicines or treatments for. Or perhaps your baby has problems that are not getting better even though we have tried many different medicines or treatments. In these cases, doctors and families together may choose to focus on comfort rather than cure, and provide treatments that keep your baby calm and free from pain.
What is comfort care?
- Comfort care means providing medicines and treatments that keep your baby comfortable and peaceful, and stopping treatments that are not helping your baby get better, or may even be causing your baby pain.
- With the medical team, you may also decide not to use CPR (chest compressions) if your baby’s heart stops beating, place a breathing tube if your baby has trouble breathing, or do painful tests or procedures.
- Comfort care is tailored to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of your baby and family. It may look a little different for each patient, and that is okay.
What does comfort care provide?
- Discussions with members of the medical team to make sure you understand your baby’s medical problems, and what those problems mean for his or her health now and in the future
- Help in making decisions that are right for your baby and family
- Medicines to reduce pain or discomfort
- Comforting interventions, such as kangaroo care, nesting, and warmth
- Oxygen and feeding, if they help keep your baby comfortable
- Limiting or avoiding painful tests, treatments, and procedures
- Creating memories, with photos, footprints and handprints, locks of hair, or special ceremony (baptism or christening, blessing, or other spiritual experience)
- Support to help with the feelings of grief
Who can I talk to for more information?
- Nurse
- Doctor
- Social worker
- Chaplain
- The ethics team