This study aimed to explore the effect of ropivacaine combined with sufentanil on maternal lactation and infant, which were used by different anesthesia method for painless childbirth. 284 cases of voluntary acceptance of painless childbirth pregnant were involved in this study and divided into control group and observation group. Ropivacaine combined with sufentanil epidural anesthesia (CEA) was used in the control group, and ropivacaine combined with sufentanil epidural block (CSEA) anesthesia was used in the observation group. Meanwhile, maternal colostrum time, postpartum lactation and neonatal Apgar score were analyzed. The colostrum time of the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group and the lactation quantity of 24 h was significantly higher than that in the control group. There were significant differences between the control and the observation groups (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in neonatal Apgar score (p>0.05). Combined spinal epidural anesthesia of ropivacaine combined with sufentanil is more conducive to the early postpartum lactation compared with epidural anesthesia. And both of the two ways of anesthesia had no effect on the neonatal Apgar score.