New Member with a Question on Labor and Delivery

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hello-

I am a Junior Nursing Student and have recently finished my Women's Health rotation at local hospital. I have to post a question regarding my experience so far. When a mother has been given analgesics during labor, how long will the effects be evident in the newborn? Through my research I have not been able to find this answer; although I have found that analgesics have altered the newborn's breast feeding behavior and temperature. There was a study conducted on this and the results were "that several types of analgesia given to the mother during labor may interfere with the newborn's spontaneous breast-seeking and breastfeeding behaviors and increase the newborn's temperature"

(Ransjo-Arvidson, 2001). The study did not indicate how long the duration of analgesics lasted. Thanks so much

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

The duration of effect of maternal narcotics on the newborn will vary depending on the type and amount of medication the mother received. Each drug has a differing onset, peak, and duration of action. You may be best served by looking up this information on the specific drug(s) your particular patient has received in labor, if you are concerned about neonatal effects.

Some practitioners will attempt to avoid using IV narcotics if they anticipate a mother will deliver within 2-4 hours, as this is the time frame when narcotics are most likely to affect a newborn's respiratory status.

But labor is unpredictable, and some mothers have no other provisions for pain relief, so in reality, IV narcotics are given at vitrually any point in the process. Occasionally they do cause respiratory depression in the newborn, requiring close observation after birth, and Narcan administration. I am not familiar with the study you posted. Can you give us a link?

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the article that conducted this study was:

ransjo-arvidson, anna-berit rnmtd, phd; matthiesen, ann-sofi bsc; lilja, gunilla rnmtd; nissen, eva rnmtd, phd; widstrom, ann-marie rnmtd, phd; uvnas-moberg, kerstin md, phd maternal analgesia during labor disturbs newborn behavior: effects on breastfeeding, temperature, and crying. birth. 28(1):5-12, march 2001.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think Jolie answered this well! Good luck and welcome to the forum.

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