Breastfeeding Reduces Cesarean Pain
It is already known that breastfeeding gives the baby breast milk, which is the most important and suitable food source for all newborns and during their first months of life. It also reduces the pain of cesarean section.
These effects of breastfeeding on postpartum cesarean pain experienced by some mothers are very few known.
Statistics reveal that cesarean delivery is on the rise, accounting for approximately 25% of all births that occur in the UK, US and Canada.
At least 1 in 5 mothers who deliver through this option are affected by chronic pain for more than three months. However, a recent study revealed that breastfeeding can work as an antidote to this pain.
How was it concluded that breastfeeding reduces pain from cesarean section?
The results were obtained after an investigation was carried out by Dr. Carmen Alicia Vargas Berenjeno and her colleagues from the Nuestra Señora de Valme University Hospital, located in the Spanish city of Seville.
The study included 185 mothers who underwent a cesarean section at the Seville hospital between January 2015 and December 2016.
To establish these results, the authors interviewed mothers about their breastfeeding patterns and level of chronic pain in the first 24 and 72 hours after cesarean section and again four months later.
According to the research team, 87% of those interviewed breastfed their babies but only 58% said they had breastfed for two months or more.
The findings also showed that 23% of mothers who breastfed their babies for two months or less experienced chronic pain at the surgical site even four months after the operation, as opposed to those who breastfed longer.
In contrast, only 8% of those who breastfed for two months or more reported chronic pain.
Breastfeeding longer produces less cesarean pain
The results showed that mothers who breastfeed their babies for at least two months after the operation are three times less likely to experience persistent pain.
“Your chest is an umbilical tie that was never cut”
-Anonymous-
In this regard, the researcher Carmen Vargas, wrote: “These results suggest that breastfeeding for more than two months protects against chronic pain after a cesarean section and that the risk of chronic pain triples if breastfeeding is only maintained for two months or less” .
The team of experts also came up with other valid reasons, following the research results, to encourage women to breastfeed.
Based on the data obtained by the researchers, they said, women with a college education were less likely to have chronic pain than those with a low educational level.
In addition, 54% of nursing mothers reported that they suffered from anxiety. It should be noted that although this study was not designed to test causal relationships, the researchers said it is possible that anxiety while breastfeeding could influence the chances of chronic pain.
Breastfeeding against endometrial cancer
Research in Australia also confirms that breastfeeding supports maternal health. Protecting you not only against chronic pain in case of cesarean section but also from the risk of endometrial cancer.
Another study, this time conducted at the Berghofer QIMR Medical Research Institute in Brisbane Australia, notes that breastfeeding for six months can reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.
The experts analyzed the studies carried out in the US, Canada, Europe, China and Austria and the factors that can influence the risk of developing this cancer, such as age, race, education, use of oral contraceptives, phase of menopause , date of last pregnancy and body mass index.
And so the scientists observed that women who had breastfed had greater protection against this cancer.
“The results are not only relevant for women to decide to breastfeed, but also for society to understand the benefits of breastfeeding for reasonably long periods of time. Now, as it is not always possible to breastfeed, it does not mean that those who cannot will develop this cancer ”, the researchers have pointed out.
