[Nursing procedure: a dimension of the communication with the newborn]

This article approaches the perceptions of the nursing staff about the procedure's role in communicating with the newborn. Such theme was identified in a qualitative, exploratory/descriptive study developed with the nursing staff of the neonatal unit of an University Hospital in Porto Alegre/RS. The article explores the procedure's implications to the caregiver and methodological aspects of the study. It approaches the caregiver's perceptions about the communication that is due to skin stimuli; the feelings involved in performing the procedure; the relation between the inflicted pain and communication; as well as the opportunity to teach and learn through the procedure.