Influence of common birth interventions on maternal blood pressure patterns during breastfeeding 2 days after birth.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated possible influences of medical interventions during labor on maternal blood pressure during a breastfeed 2 days postpartum.


METHODS
Sixty-six primiparae with normal deliveries were consecutively recruited. Blood pressure was measured at -5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes during a morning breastfeed 2 days postpartum. Five treatment groups were formed based on the medical interventions received during labor: Non-medicated mothers (Control group, n=21); mothers receiving epidural analgesia (EDA) with oxytocin (OT) stimulation (EDA(OT) group, n=14); mothers receiving EDA without OT stimulation (EDA(non-OT) group, n=7); mothers receiving OT stimulation only (OT intravenously [iv] group, n=9); and mothers receiving 10 IU of OT intramuscularly (im) only (OT im group, n=15).


RESULTS
Baseline diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure differed between the groups as displayed by significantly lower diastolic blood pressure in the EDA(non-OT) group compared with the Control group, the OT iv group, and the EDA(OT) group (p=0.045, p=0.041, and p=0.024, respectively). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure fell significantly during the breastfeeding session in the Control group (p=0.001 and p=0.004, respectively), the OT im group (p=0.006 and p=0.001, respectively), and the EDA(OT) group (p=0.028 and p=0.002, respectively), and the fall in diastolic blood pressure tended to be significant in the OT iv group (p=0.050). The duration of skin-to-skin contact before breastfeeding correlated positively with the decrease in systolic blood pressure in the OT im group (R(s)=0.540, p=0.046).


CONCLUSIONS
Administration of EDA during labor lowers baseline diastolic blood pressure and abolishes the fall in blood pressure in response to a breastfeed 2 days after birth.
Systems Biology Research Center, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden. linda.handlin@his.se
Linda
L
Handlin
Wibke
W
Jonas
Anna-Berit
AB
Ransjö-Arvidson
Maria
M
Petersson
Kerstin
K
Uvnäs-Moberg
Eva
E
Nissen
D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008405:Massage; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D049590:Postpartum Period; D013548:Sweden; D013599:Systole; D014110:Touch
D010121:Oxytocin