...according to a report in The Sunday Times today.
WOMEN who give birth with the aid of pain-relieving epidurals find it harder to breast-feed than those who give birth naturally, a study has found.
The research suggests that some of the drugs used in epidurals make their way into babies? bloodstreams, subtly affecting their brains and development for weeks afterwards ? including making them less willing to breast-feed.
.....
In a commentary on the research, published today, one expert suggests the impact of epidurals on breast-feeding should be officially classed as an ?adverse drug reaction?.
.....
Such a link could help explain why many British women fail to breast-feed, with 55% giving up within six weeks of birth. More than a third of women give up within a week, saying their babies simply refuse to breast-feed.
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Other researchers support Torvaldsen?s findings. A study at Toronto University, Canada, of 177 women found they were less likely to be breast-feeding after six weeks if they had been given an epidural with fentanyl.
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Women who have epidurals find it harder to breast-feed
60 replies
hulababy · 10/12/2006 08:47
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