It was once believed that premature newborns could not feel pain. Today, however, researchers have located specific pathways in the nervous system that are responsible for pain perception in newborns as well as in preterm infants. It means the newborn is able to feel pain, although it is processed by the brain differently, and therefore experienced differently, from the way an adult would process or experience it. Minimizing pain and discomfort for newborns is a growing area of medical research.
References
Fitzgerald, M. (2005). The development of nociceptive circuits. Full Text Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(7), Jul, 2005. Special issue: Focus on Pain. 507
