London - Women who have an epidural to control their pain during childbirth are less likely to suffer from post-natal depression, scientists claim.
A study found that 14 percent of those who had the anaesthetic injected into their lower back were depressed six weeks later, while the figure for those who did not have an epidural was nearly 35 percent.
In addition, 70 percent of those who had the pain relief were likely to breast-feed, compared with 50 percent of those who did not have the injection. In a report on the research by Chinese scientists, psychiatrist Dr Katherine Wisner, of Northwestern University in Chicago, said: “Pain control gets the mother off to a good beginning rather than starting off defeated and exhausted.”
Writing in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, she added: “There is no way to have a delivery without pain. The objective is to avoid severe pain. Controlling pain so a woman can comfortably develop as a mother makes a lot of sense.”
Daily Mail