Fructose

[becca_howell]

In all my reading on here in the last year, and all my research on the subject before that, this is the first time I've heard this!

I was having a discussion on circumcision, and someone told me the hospital their sons were circ'd in put fructose on their pacifiers to create a natural anesthetic.

Sounds like a bunch of baloney to me. It sounds like something the hospital does so the parents feel better about slicing their sons' penises up. But, maybe there's substance to it. Who knows?

[Yulia_R]

I'm surprised you haven't heard about it before; hospitals do it all the time for circ...not that it helps...

[RunnerDuck]

My parents used to put honey on my brother's pacifier. Not to circumsize him - although they did that when he was born - but as a daily thing.

I think a lot of people used to do it it... I don't really understand it. I guess it briefly makes the pacifier more interesting. Maybe it tricks the baby into thinking it's food. But it's gone so quickly... My mother says they had to carry a jar of honey everywhere with them and it was messy and awful.

Sucking does comfort and reduce pain for babies... that's why they want to nurse when they are hurt... I guess anything that encourages them to suck would reduce pain... but there's nothing magical about the fructose... it will just encourage sucking... but still I hope that's not the only pain relief they are going to offer! Whatever your views are, if you're going to do it, at least give the kid ample pain relief!!!

We didn't circ my son so I don't know for sure what the hospital we had him at would have done.

[Nandi]

It's like this: Imagine you were going into surgery, say gallbladder removal. The doctor says, just suck on this lollipop while we make the incision. The sugar will totally distract you from the pain....

Also, you shouldn't feed honey to infants under 1 year, it can have salmonella in it.

[neverdoingitagain]

Originally Posted by Nandi

Also, you shouldn't feed honey to infants under 1 year, it can have salmonella in it.

o/t not salmonella, botulism.

I've heard the sugar thing before. I know that sucking can be very soothing for babies, but I really don't know why they think a liitle sucking and sugar will make the pain miraclously disappear. Oh yeah! Babies can't feel pain...I forgot

[Nandi]

My mistake!

[susienjay]

I think it's called sweet-eeze. Not sure if I have that spelled exactly right but I do think it does lessen the pain a bit for things like shots or blood draws. My kids that spent some time in the NICU got it occasionally for things like that and it did seem to make them a little more comfortable. For a circumcision I really can't imagine it doing much of anything.

[by-the-lake]

yeah, sweet-eeze is whats used for pain control. Its 24% sucrose. Its suppose to increase endorphins, as the sweetness and sucking motions are soothing. not my choice for surgical anesthetic

[Nandi]

Blood cortisol levels/stress levels rise the same amount though. It may cut down on crying, but it doesn't cut down on pain.

[by-the-lake]

trust me, I'm not defending it

[Nitenites]

Yes, they do. When the hospital DS2 was born in tried to charge us for a circ, that was one of the lines on his itemized bill. It was $2.

[RunnerDuck]

Originally Posted by Nandi

It's like this: Imagine you were going into surgery, say gallbladder removal. The doctor says, just suck on this lollipop while we make the incision. The sugar will totally distract you from the pain....

Also, you shouldn't feed honey to infants under 1 year, it can have salmonella in it.

My brother was born in '75. Honey wasn't a no-no then. The OP was talking about fructose... which I think is IN honey, but comes from other sources, too.