Hi Rachel,
Hello again from Israel.
First of all, thankyou for sending on my request to your friend.  She got 
back to me right away and did give me permission to quote her.
On a totally different subject.  I was just rereading the following post 
from you.  I saved this to refer to while writing an article on getting off 
to a good start while breastfeeding.  This is the third article in a series 
that I am writing for a local magazine.  I am not very confident writing 
about use of drugs during labor since its not something I understand so 
well. (I just know that it is a bad thing) You wrote that drugs in the 
maternal circulation CAN enter the baby's circulation.  Does this mean that 
they don't necessarily enter the baby's circulation?  They only sometimes 
do?  If you have time, could you clarify this for me.
Thankyou very much,
Chayn

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rachel Myr" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 9:37 PM
Subject: How epidural drugs get into babies


> The epidural space is not a completely sequestered compartment in the
> mother's body.  If it were, the epidural effects would be permanent.  The
> drugs enter the maternal circulation and are metabolized, normally by the
> liver, and while in circulation can enter the fetal circulation as well.
> Some drugs are more rapidly metabolized than others, but all drugs are 
> more
> rapidly metabolized by mother's liver than by the baby's.  Any drugs still
> in the fetal circulation when the fetus turns into an infant with its own
> respiration and waste excretion, separate from mother's, will last as long
> as it takes for the baby to metabolize them.
> Also, some of the metabolites of analgesics are themselves analgesic in
> effect, and are longer lasting.
> Rachel Myr
> Kristiansand, Norway
>
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