Association between Newborns' Breastfeeding Behaviors in the First Two Hours After Birth and Drugs Used For Their Mothers in Labor

Objective: Use of narcotics to relieve pain in labor affects neurobehavioral and nutritional conditions of newborns after birth. However, there are inadequate data on the effects of drugs currently used in labor. This study was performed to examine the association between newborns' breastfeeding behaviors in the first two hours after birth and drugs used for their mothers in labor in Isfahan, central Iran, from 2014 to 2016.

Materials & methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 women were selected who had vaginal delivery in the Labor and Gynecology Wards of Al-Zahra and Shahid Beheshti hospitals, Isfahan, Iran from 2014 to 2016. Data were collected by a demographic questionnaire and the Newborn Breastfeeding Behaviors Tool completed by the researcher as she observed the newborns during breastfeeding after birth. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis test in SPSS 20.

Results: There was no significant difference between demographic characteristics of the studied groups (P>0.05). In addition, there was significant difference in breastfeeding behaviors between groups. More clearly, breastfeeding ability was higher in the infants of the women administered with no drug than those of the women in the group (P=0.000).

Conclusion: Physicians, nurses, and midwives can be informed about the side effects of the drugs used in labor on the newborns' breastfeeding, and improve their breastfeeding outcomes by decreasing the dose of used drug and the duration of the women's treatment with these drugs.