Breastfeeding 1-2-3 » c-section

April is Cesarean Awareness Month

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:37:51 +0000

At 27 weeks of pregnancy, with a plan for a home birth, I am starting to hear other women’s horror stories about their birth experiences (please, people, I have my own leftover trauma from a fourth degree tear and an epidural that failed (that’s how I know I can labor and deliver without pain medication if given the opportunity!)) In the last two weeks, two women have mentioned how much the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) helped them recover emotionally from a cesarean. In addition to attending La Leche League meetings, the two women attended local ICAN support group meetings. ICAN is dedicated to cesarean prevention, c-section recovery, and advocacy for the rights of birthing women. It currently has chapters in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

A woman’s birth experience can have a tremendous impact on breastfeeding success. For information on breastfeeding after a cesarean, see AskDrSears.com and Kellymom.com.

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Poll Results: Pain Medication during Labor

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 01:29:07 +0000

Forty-six people responded to the poll: Which answer applies to the birth of your first child? The results:

I did not require pain medication: 35%
I had some pain medication (systemic narcotic): 11%
I had an epidural but no c-section: 20%
I had a spinal: 2%
I had a combined spinal/epidural: 4%
I had a cesarean section: 20%
I adopted: 2%
I am pregnant: 7%

Graphically:

Pie chart:

To see all prior poll results, click here.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Pain Management during Labor: A Poll

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 15:29:07 +0000

Writing the post Epidurals May Interfere with Breastfeeding made me curious about others’ experience with pain management during labor. Please share your vote in the poll:

[edited to remove inactive poll; see poll results here]

If you missed any of the previous poll results, click here.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Epidurals May Interfere with Breastfeeding

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:32:12 +0000

A research study by the University of Sydney concludes that epidurals “hamper breastfeeding” (BBC News). Several factors may be at play:

– an epidural can make the baby sleepy;
– women who get epidurals are more likely to end up with a cesarean section, and c-sections can make it more difficult for the nursing mother to pick up the baby and position the baby at the breast; and
– mothers who choose not to have pain relief may be more motivated to breastfeed.

The study doesn’t really report anything we didn’t already know. This simply tells me that women should consider planning for a birth with the least possible amount of medical intervention, and prepare for the possibility of a cesarean birth. It is definitely possible to breastfeed after a cesarean, particularly if a woman seeks adequate breastfeeding and childcare support after the birth.

I’ve gone both ways–with epidural and without. I didn’t find that having an epidural interfered with breastfeeding, but I was highly motivated to breastfeed. Having gone without an epidural, I wish I had done so for my first labor. Generally when the pain starts mounting, that’s when the good work of the birth starts happening! I certainly do not fault anyone for their choice, and I recognize that some women do not have a choice. All this means is that women should prepare for the possibilities to give them the best start at breastfeeding.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3