Carol wrote:
I need ammunition. Got into a "discussion" with one of our anesthesiology
residents the other day.  He was on "break" & didn't want to start an
epidural on a laboring mom.  His order (knowing I'm an LC):  "give her some
Stadol, maybe she won't need the epidural, & she won't have to worry if the
anesthesia messed up bf for her".

WOW -- I'd get his quote in writing, that he admits that anesthesia messes
up breastfeeding!!


Carol wrote also:
I responded (of course--never could resist a bait) that IMO Stadol did more
to screw up a baby's ability to suck than even a prolonged epidural.  (I
won't go into my mini-tirade on the need to provide women with other
non-medical birthing supports!) Now I have to produce "research" to back up
my statement!  Have there been any actual studies on Stadol and bf?  And if
so, PLEASE e-mail them ASAP!

I can only offer my personal experience with two births with a little Stadol
that they made me absolutely bonkers -- one time I thought I was going to
die the moment the baby was born, the other time I was on another planet
being Spaceman Biff (a la Calvin and Hobbes) during the entire labor.  BUT,
both children nursed just fine -- one for four years, the other for five years!

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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352