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3rd Trimester
blambert98
member
Epi and baby...questioning meds now!
blambert98
member
So at the breastfeeding class last night, they showed a video of two babies: one baby's mother HAD the epidural, the other DIDN'T have it. The baby that wasn't medicated was placed on the mom's chest and he was alert, bobbing around, and searching for the breast. The medicated baby was placed on the mother's chest and he just laid there with his eyes open. He would lift his head up slowly, and lay it back down. It was the saddest thing I've seen!! He looked SO drugged 
I was all about having the epidural but after that video I feel like maybe I can be a soldier and go med free. I didn't know the meds affected baby that much!! What are your thoughts on this??
I was all about having the epidural but after that video I feel like maybe I can be a soldier and go med free. I didn't know the meds affected baby that much!! What are your thoughts on this?? 
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Re: Epi and baby...questioning meds now!
That's a neat video, isn't it? My only thought on this: prepare for med-free, know your options, don't be too terribly "set" on either way (just to avoid guilt/regrets that sometimes accompany what we don't do/het), ultimately decide when you get there.
edit: I can't really comment on the epi. thing. I didn't have one with my first and she was fine. I had one with my second, but because she suffered a brain bleed during delivery she was not looking for my boob (brain bleed discovered a couple of days after birth -- seizures). Not epi. related though.
I had two rounds of epidural and she was very alert....she had some stuff in her lungs, but she was fine after that!
Well...my 2nd one wore off...so i could feel everything!
I haven't heard this before...but this is my first time so I could be totally wrong!
Good luck with everything!
Okay! I just found this!! Narcotics make baby dopey....epidurals do not.
https://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/centres/pregnancy/childbirth/medications.html
I haven't looked into hypnobirthing or any other method of med-free labor, I'm just realizing the reality of this now for some reason! I'm just thinking that since the beginning of time ladies have given birth without meds....why can't I?? I feel like I should at least TRY to muscle up for as long as I can . And I know that if my baby comes out looking all drugged up I'll feel so guilty. I don't know what to do!!
Thanks!!!!
EXACTLY. You never know what else the mother was given during labor. I think you might need to do some more research other than the video if you want to make an informed decision.
I saw the video last night as well...I thought the point was that the mom had an epi plus was taken away from the mom right after birth?
Yeah, that was the point of the video at the breastfeeding class. I'm not too concerned with how well the baby will latch because other women have said that their babies have done fine. My point was that the baby looked completely out of it due to the mother being medicated...and it made me sad!
That video is absolutely a scare tactic.
There is no way for the epi to cross the placenta barrier. Even with narcotics, you'd have to have A LOT of them to affect the baby, which obviously isn't done any more in births (with or without the epi). Who knows what else that baby and mom had been through, or what other issues might be at play. BFing classes often have other agendas--be aware of that, even when the teachers are nurses.
If you think you might want the epi, get it placed early so it's done easily and painlessly. You have no need to turn it on--ever. But it's safer for you and LO if it's in there without a lot of pain for you, and if it's there when you end up needing/wanting it.
I've seen the video too.
It should be noted that the video shows the findings of a study in the early 90s on seventy women and their infants. Half the mom's had 'medicated' births while the other half had natural, 'non medicated' births. The babies from non medicated mothers were more alert, moved up toward the breast on their own when placed on the mother's abdomen, just like other animals do in nature. Medicated birth babies had a harder time doing this and latching on. The video does not explain what "medicated" includes - but our Bradley teacher presumed that it includes all pain medications from epidurals to narcotics.
Also, the video was focused on 'skin to skin' contact immediately following the birth. Babies that were left on the mother's skin for an hour after birth (no separation for bathing, infant testing, etc.) had better bonding and latched on better for breastfeeding. Babies that were taken away to be 'cleaned up' and then returned to the mother had more difficulty. Even a baby that had been born to a mother via C-section was able to inch up to mom's breast and latch on 10 hours after the surgery, but the video notes that mom did not receive any medication during labor.
Just thought I'd add that all as an FYI. We are planning a natural birth but I'm not 100% opposed to an epidural, I just hope to avoid any interventions and if that is the worst of what I have to concede to, I'm okay with that.
Um just so you know, that video is full of crap. Epidurals treat mom with essentially a form of "local" anesthesia, not a narcotic that gets into baby's body/bloodstream. I've been present at multiple births (I mean more than 100) and those with no meds and those with epidurals have vibrant healthy babies bobbing for the breast, vs those with narcotics too close to delivery who are sluggish, etc. Don't go freaking everyone out about epidurals and "drugging babies". The biggest problem with epidurals is that they wear off or don't get a good block and don't do alot of good (as per other posters). If you were hoping for an epidural, don't let that video sway you.