The Effect of Aromatherapy Application on Pain, Stress and Behaviors of the Newborn

Newborns have to receive treatment and care for a long time in the neonatal unit. Newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have to cope with stressors such as numerous environmental stimuli (bright light, loud noise, frequent touch, etc.) and repetitive painful interventions when they are not developmentally ready. A care environment devoid of parental contact and stimuli, disturbing the newborn, and encountering stress and excessive stimuli negatively affects the delicate physical condition and immature organ systems of the newborn, and physiological and behavioral stress symptoms can be observed. However, in neonatal units; It is known that there may be many undesirable stimuli such as excessive noise, light, and intense activity in the unit, as well as situations where sensory stimuli such as monotonous sounds, inactivity, and silence from some medical equipment are rare. In these cases, sensory deprivation or sensory overload problems may develop as a result of the decrease or increase in the quality and quantity of sensory stimuli . Precautions should be taken to prevent these problems from occurring. Complementary care practices such as aromatherapy can be used to reduce sensory stimulus problems and stress.

Aromatherapy, which is the most widely used in complementary care applications; It is defined as the use of essential oils obtained from flowers, plants and trees to increase health and well-being. Essential oils can be administered orally, by touch, and by inhalation. The aim of aromatherapy by touch (massage, bath, compress) is to benefit from the anti-inflammatory, antispasmadic, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial effects of essential oils and to allow the muscles to return to a resting tone. Since the sense of touch is developed in newborn babies at birth, the application of aromatic oils with the sense of touch is important in reducing the stress of the baby in the first days of his life.

Among the essential oils used in aromatherapy, the most studied fragrance is lavender. Lavender generally has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, relaxing and sleep-inhibiting effects. In line with this information, it is aimed to examine the effect of aromatherapy on the pain, stress and behavior of newborns.

Inclusion criteria

• Postnatal age of 1-5 days,
• Gestational age is 38-42 weeks,
• Tolerant of enterally given food (without NEC, digestive system and chromosomal abnormalities),
• Not connected to respiratory support device,
• No skin disease,
• No surgical intervention,
• Newborns with written consent from at least one of the parents will be included in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Findings such as tachypnea, fever
• Newborns with Rh and AB0 incompatibility
• Newborns undergoing surgical intervention