Effect of caesarean section on breast milk transfer to the normal term newborn over the first week of life

Objective: To determine the effect of caesarean section on breast milk transfer (BMT) to the normal term infant over the first week of life. Method: A sample of 88 healthy nursing mothers who had a normal vaginal delivery, and 97 mothers who had a caesarean section were recruited from a teaching hos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition 2003-09, Vol.88 (5), p.F380-F382
Main Authors: Evans, K C, Evans, R G, Royal, R, Esterman, A J, James, S L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Anesthesia
Apgar Score
Babies
Biological and medical sciences
Birth weight
BMT
Breast Feeding
breast milk transfer
Breastfeeding & lactation
caesarean section
Cesarean section
Cesarean Section - adverse effects
Chi-Square Distribution
Childbirth & labor
Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation
Female
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Infant, Newborn - physiology
lactation
Male
Maternal, fetal and perinatal monitoring
Medical sciences
Mothers
Newborn babies
normal vaginal delivery
NVD
Obstetrics
Original
Parity
Postpartum period
Smoking
Social Class
Tropical medicine
vaginal delivery
Weight Gain - physiology
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Summary:Objective: To determine the effect of caesarean section on breast milk transfer (BMT) to the normal term infant over the first week of life. Method: A sample of 88 healthy nursing mothers who had a normal vaginal delivery, and 97 mothers who had a caesarean section were recruited from a teaching hospital. Mothers and midwives were instructed to weigh the infants before and after each feed throughout the study period using calibrated portable electronic scales. Results: The volume of milk transferred to infants born by caesarean section was significantly less than that transferred to infants born by normal vaginal delivery on days 2 to 5 (p < 0.05), but by day 6 there was no difference between the two groups (p = 0.08). The difference could not be explained by any of the maternal and infant variables measured. Birth weight was regained by day 6 in 40% of infants born vaginally compared with 20% in those born by caesarean section. Conclusion: There is a lag in the profile of the daily volume of breast milk transferred to infants delivered by caesarean section compared with those born by normal vaginal delivery. This study also challenges the widely followed schedules of milk volumes considered to be suitable for the term infant, which appear to be excessive, at least for the first four to five days post partum.
ISSN:1359-2998
1468-2052
DOI:10.1136/fn.88.5.F380