I would be interested in hearing from anyone who practices in a setting
where IV Fentanyl is used as labor analgesia, or who knows of such a
setting.  My hospital has the dubious distinction of being the only one in
Norway that does so.  They started offering it as an alternative to
pethidine (meperidine) which we were still using a lot of until Fentanyl
came along.  There is no monitoring of any possible effects in the babies -
no measurement of Fentanyl or its metabolites in cord blood, no checking of
neonatal neurological responses with and without Fentanyl, and no tracking
of breastfeeding problems or lack thereof.  
Women who get epidurals in my hospital also get Fentanyl or Sufenta with the
bupivacaine, but while our epidural rate is low, our IV Fentanyl rate is
high.  This is seen as a good thing, since there seems to be an assumption
that all the women currently getting IV Fentanyl would otherwise be
candidates for epidurals.  I don't buy that assumption, nor do I feel
comfortable with our current practice which has taken hold entirely without
concern for possible side effects, particularly on feeding behavior.  So,
any and all input is appreciated.
Cheers
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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