The effects of opioids during labour on breastfeeding : midwives' views and experiences

Abstract

Opioids help control the pain and stress of labour and are widely used globally in midwifery practice, particularly in developed countries (El-Wahab & Robinson 2014). The most-used opioids in labour include fentanyl, diamorphine and pethidine. Each woman in labour will respond in a different way to opioids but there is evidence that, while opioids help relieve labour pain, they can also cause side effects including drowsiness, nausea and vomiting in the mother during labour and early in the postnatal period. Opioids cross the placenta and can also affect babies’ normal instinctive behaviour, such as breathing. Opioids can make babies lethargic and sleepier after birth and cause a poor sucking reflex, which can interfere with breastfeeding. A study by Fleet et al (2015) found women who had received opioids during labour experienced difficulty latching the baby on to the breast, with a delay in the initiation and establishment of breastfeeding (Fleet et al 2015). [excerpt]