Hi everyone,
The other day I cared for a mother and her
baby who were day 2, and the baby was sleepy at the breast and mucousy. The
mother had had a long & difficult labour, in which she required
pethidine, followed by an epidural and then proceeded to have a forceps
delivery. She was concerned about her baby and queried whether the
pethidine/epidural that she had in labour caused any effect on her baby's
behaviour and breastfeeding. Being a student midwife and only just
commencing our lactation subject, I at least knew that pethidine could make
some babies sleepy for a couple of days and not attach well to the breast,
but was unsure how to respond to her quieries and offer support. Also, what
other techniques could be used to help this baby feed from the
breast?
Kristy
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