Researchers suggest that the protection of the cycles of sleep is essential for neurodevelopment, learning, memory and preservation of brain plasticity to the individual's life. Recent research shows that technical bath promote reduction of crying, anxiety and improves the behavior of newborns.

This was a pilot study assessing the technique in this population. The study was conducted with 8 stable premature infants admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from Hospital Luterano de Porto Alegre. Physiological and behavioral parameters were assessed by Brazelton's neonatal behavior assessment scale, and the pain was evaluated by NFCS scale. The mean of Brazelton's scale was reduced after the procedures from 5,88 ± 0.35 to 1,38 ± 0.74, p < 0.001. The score in pain assessment scale was reduced from 5,38 ± 0.91 to 0.25 ± 0.46, p < 0.001 after intervention. The study suggests that aquatic physical therapy could be a simple and effective method to reduce pain and stress in premature infants admitted in the neonatal ICU.

Inclusion Criteria:

• premature infants with gestational age less than 36 weeks,
• clinically stable, showing behavioral abnormalities such as intolerance to the touch, excessive crying, showing signs of pain in accordance with the scale
• difficulty of NFCS leave the stage of crying and agitation for a period of deep sleep during a period of not less than 60 minutes.

Exclusion Criteria:

• premature medically unstable because of the difficulty of monitoring in liquid medium, with a change in temperature on mechanical ventilation who had an infectious process due to the exacerbation of it in hot water, and syndromic children with congenital facial deformities that impede the use of scale NFCS for evaluation.