Does Epidural affect breastfeeding?

[littlemoomoo]

For mummies who had epidural,

Do u bf immediately after delivery?
Does your baby feel sleepy for days and experience difficulty in breastfeeding?

 

[diza]

I don't think so as I was able to BF my baby right after birth and my supply was good. As for sleepy babies, NB sleeps a lot so can't really assume that epidural cause babies to be very sleepy.

 

[pocus2000]

All NB are sleepy for days and still learning to latch effectively so BFing during the first week is always a challenge.

Epidural have more impact on the mother's health. Never hear of it doing any harm to breastfeeding. Don't scare yourself.

 

[wobblejelly]

Epidural should'nt affect BF. But giving formula milk will. Don't be tempted to give formula as C-sect delivery sometimes mean milk come in slower. Just need to be patient and keep gettig bb to latch on to stimulate production.

 

[XiangXiangMama]

When mom is injected with epidural, it crosses the placenta to the baby, making baby more prone to jaundice and hence more sleepy. On top of that, epidural interferes with the body's natural hormone that are essential during the birthing process and shortly after birth such as the hormone oxytocin which is essential for bonding and breastfeeding right after birth. There is not enough concrete evidence to show that epidural affect success of breastfeeding. It certainly affects the infant behaviour due to exposure of drugs during the birthing process. It is not just about the success and failure of breastfeeding but the quality of the milk that the mother provide for her baby. Here is an article on Epidurals-Risks and Concern for Mother and Baby. You can scroll down to section on Breastfeeding.