Nervous dads-to-be worsen cesarean  pain
Source: Psychosomatic Medicine 2005; Not yet available  online
Examining the impact of psychosocial factors in the mother and birthing  
partner on maternal fear and pain during and after delivery.  
The presence of a nervous father at a cesarean delivery can stress his  
partner, leading to higher levels of post-operative pain, UK research  suggests. 
This pain could, in turn, have negative effects on a woman's recovery, as  
well as on her ability to breast feed and bond with her child,  warn Dr Edmund 
Keogh, from the University of Bath, and colleagues. 
To combat the problem, birthing partners could be given help to prepare for  
cesarean births, both in antenatal classes and prior to surgery, the team  
suggests.  
For the research, 65 pregnant women booked to undergo an "awake" elective  
cesarean and their birthing partners were questioned about their fears,  
expectations and experiences before, during, and after the procedure. 
Women who had negative expectations prior to the operation experienced most  
fear during the procedure, which resulted in greater post-operative pain.  
Further analysis showed that the women's sensitivity to anxiety mediated the  
relationship between her negative expectations and fear, whereas the fear of the  
birthing partner mediated the association between maternal fear and  
postoperative pain.  
As birthing partners can improve the experience of women giving birth, Dr  
Keogh suggested: "Rather than removing them from the operating theatre  
altogether, it would be better to target the emotional well-being of the birth  
partner to help reduce the anxiety and fear experienced by the mother." 
Posted: 27 January 2006



Kathleen  Fallon Pasakarnis, M.Ed. IBCLC
Nurturing Family Lactation and Parenting  Services

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