Objective: Although many methods for pain assessment in newborns are available, none of them are widely accepted. Our aim was to answer the question: do newborns respond similarly to different painful procedures? Methods: Sixty term newborns were involved in non-randomized prospective study. They were classified into 2 groups: Group A (n=30) who needed intubation and Group B (n=30) who necessitated umbilical vein catheterization. Close observation prior to and 10 minutes after the painful procedures was performed for recording of physiological and behavioral indicators.  Plasma renin activity (PRA) was measured before and 10 minutes after the painful procedures. Findings: There was statistically significant difference between the 2 groups as regards physiological and hormonal responses to pain (P0.05). The median pre- and post-intubation levels of PRA were 3.04 and 12.05 ng/ml/hour, respectively. There was significant (P