New Medical Study Shows Epidurals Inhibit Nursing Instincts

A new study published in the International Breastfeeding Journal, a peer-reviewed medical journal, confirms what many have been saying for years; that epidurals can have a negative effect on infants, specifically impacting their ability to nurse properly.

Spearheaded by Siranda Torvaldsen the study followed 1,280 women, the largest sample of any study of this type. The results were surprising and have led some to call for action. In fact, Dr. Sue Jordan, senior lecturer in applied therapeutics at Swansea University called for more long-term research into the effects of epidural opioid medication on newborn babies. She also said the evidence from this research warrants breastfeeding difficulties being added to the list of "adverse drug reactions" even though it isn't a reaction by the mother, but rather an adverse reaction to the baby.

The Study: 1,280 women who had given birth were studied. Of those 416 received epidural pain relief during their labor. This was a cohort, observational study meaning that the women were not assigned to specific medication vs non-medication groups, but rather were allowed to act on their own and the results followed to determine the effects. (Authors note: British women have a 40% epidural rate; in America the percentage of laboring mothers receiving epidurals is much higher, giving this even a higher impact on children in the States)

The Results: While 93 percent of women attempted breast feeding in the first week, those who had received epidural medications during labor has more difficulty establishing a good breast feeding routine in the critical first few days.

At the 24-week mark 72% of the women who did not receive epidurals were still breast feeding but only 53% of the women who received epidurals were still breast feeding at all. The number one reason given for no longer breast feeding was that the baby simply "refused to nurse". Over a third of the mothers no longer breast feeding gave up within the first week and 55% quit nursing their infants within the first month and a half.