Epidural Anesthesia – Effect on Baby

Transcript

So research on this regard is still ambiguous, and many other factors can affect the health of a newborn. How much of an effect these medications will have is difficult to determine, and can change based on dosage, the length of labor, and the characteristics of each individual baby. Since dosages and medications can change, concrete information from research is currently unavailable. One possible side effect of an epidural with some babies is a struggle with latching on when they are breastfeeding. However, this is a temporary side effect. These medications have also been known to cause respiratory depression and decreased fetal heart rate in newborns.