All the talk about the importance of the first 24 hours had made me even
more concerned about something that is going on at a local hospital here.
They have begun routinely giving c-section mothers something in their
spinal called "duramorph" (I can't spell it because I have never seen the
word in print) as they ar being sewn up. Form the "morph" part I assume it
is some kind of morphine, which is an opiate, right? I hear that these
mothers are then totally zonked for the 24 hours immediately following the
birth, to the extent that they need extra nursing care and can't be allowed
to room in.
Only if a mother says "hey wait a minute, what's that?" when the stuff is
being put in do they explain it (they say it will help them rest). A good
friend of mine refused it when she realized what it was, and the nurses
were all surprised at how "perky" she was until they saw she hadn't taken
the drug.
Do any of you know of studies showing how this stuff affects early
nursings? Why are they administering this really strong drug anyway?
Anecdotally, I have noticed more LLL calls featuring sleepy babies, nipple
confusion (from babies getting bottles the first day), etc. We just
thought more people were getting our number until we heard of this new
policy.
I had two c-sections at this same hospital without opiates. I nursed as
soon as I was sewn up and roomed in with both babies. The pain killers they
gave me were adequate--I didn't expect to be pain free, and being with my
babies made up for it! (Our LLL doesn't want to get the hospital irritated
with us, so I am hoping for some info from you all, which I can take to the
local breastfeeding task force meeting next week, before asking the
hospital what's up.)
I would love to hear that the tales of this drug's effects have been
exaggerrated. Thank you.
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Sue Ann Kendall, mother of two small boys, editor, La Leche League Leader,
Prairienet Publications Committee Head, Champaign, IL USA
E. Central Ill. Breastfeeding Promotion Task Force Chair, 1995-6
[log in to unmask] http://www.prairienet.org/~sak
http://www.prairienet.org/community/health/laleche/homepage.html
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