Open AccessThe Effect of Postoperative Analgesia with Continuous Epidural Bupivacaine After Cesarean Section on the Amount of Breast Feeding and Infant Weight Gain
Author(s) -
Munetaka Hirose,
Yumi Hara,
Toyoshi Hosokawa,
Yoshifumi Tanaka
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
anesthesia and analgesia/anesthesia and analgesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.404
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1526-7598
pISSN - 0003-2999
DOI - 10.1097/00000539-199606000-00011
Subject(s) - medicine , bupivacaine , anesthesia , diclofenac , elective cesarean section , breast feeding , weight gain , surgery , breast milk , body weight , pregnancy , pediatrics , biology , genetics , biochemistry , chemistry
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of postoperative analgesia on the amount of breast feeding and infant weight gain. Thirty parturients undergoing elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly allocated to receive postoperative pain management with (S-E group, n = 15) or without epidural bupivacaine (S group, n = 15). Epidural analgesia was performed for 3 days with a continuous epidural infusion (0.7 mL/h) of 0.25% bupivacaine. Diclofenac was available on demand in all patients. The weight of milk fed by breast and the infant weight were measured for 11 days after cesarean section. In the S-E group, the visual analog pain score after surgery was significantly lower and both the weight of milk fed by breast and the infant weight during the study were significantly more than the respective values in the S group. The S group required a larger dose of diclofenac after the operation than did the S-E group. We suggest that satisfactory postoperative pain relief with continuous epidural bupivacaine for 3 days after cesarean section improved the amount of breast feeding and the gain of infant weight.