On 13 May 2005 at 19:42, Fiona Hermann wrote:

> Hello there
> I just can't help myself.... I keep reading about the effects of
> epidurals in labour and breastfeeding, and the rate of epidurals in
> North America. I don't think New Zealand women are different
> physiologically to US women - ..
>  but here we would have between 10 and 40% epidural rates, depending a
>  lot
> on here you live and whether there is an anaethetist available for an
> on demand epidural. women hee use water, massage, heat, support,
> mobility, pethidine (demerol) sometimes, and nitrous oxide to help
> with labour pain. we also have about 97% initiation Bf rates, and
> about 60% (I think) some BF at 3 months.

Unfortunately we don't have those high breastfeeding numbers in the 
Netherlands (about 72-78% on day 8, depending BFHI or not, 35% at 3 
months), but we don't have epidural on demand, either. So anecdotaly 
our countries equalize the statistics. 
You would have to be 'lucky' to have a anaestisist in the house in 
out of work hours. About 35% of women (not as much as before) give 
birth at home, so no epi's for them. In the clinic about 8% of 
mothers have an epi ( 
http://www.anesthesiologie.nl/patient/Patientenvoorlichting/Ruggenprik
/Ruggenprik.html ), but according to this site numbers are rising.
-- 
Heleen Hayes
www.xs4all.nl/~hhayes

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