Breastfeeding After C-Section – Can It Reduce The Pain?

It’s a well known fact: breastfeeding offers many benefits to both mothers and babies.

New research has now discovered women who are breastfeeding after a caesarean birth might get an extra benefit: some pain relief during their recovery. As women who have been through a caesarean childbirth will tell you, there is a fair bit of pain to cope with after the surgery.

This can be really challenging for new mothers to deal with, especially when they are at home and caring for a newborn.

Breastfeeding after c-section – can it reduce the pain?

According to research presented at the Euroanaesthesia Congress in Geneva in 2017, women who begin breastfeeding after a caesarean birth, and continue to breastfeed for at least two months, are three times less likely to experience chronic pain.

What is considered chronic pain after a caesarean section?

Chronic pain is pain that continues beyond three months after surgery. It is difficult to know how many women have chronic pain post caesarean birth, because it hasn’t really been studied. The study discussed in this article is one of the few available that explore how initiating breastfeeding can reduce a mother’s pain after a c-section.

Most of us would expect to feel pain after having major abdominal surgery. We also expect to have a scar to remind us of the surgery.

You can read more about c section scars and how long they should take to heal in BellyBelly’s article C Section Scar – 9 Most Popular Itching & Healing FAQs.

Chronic pain after a c-section can have long term effects on women. It can interfere with their daily activities and relationships, and can increase the likelihood of depression or anxiety.

Findings from the study

Researchers from Spain looked at 185 mothers who had a caesarean birth between January 2015 and December 2016.

The mothers were interviewed about breastfeeding initiation and the level of pain they had at the incision site in the first 24 to 72 hours after their baby’s birth, and again four months later.

The researchers also took into consideration the effect of other factors on chronic pain. These included: surgical technique; pain during the first 24-72 hours; maternal education and occupation; and anxiety during breastfeeding.

Almost 90% of the mothers in the study breastfed their babies, and almost 60% breastfed for two or more months. The study results showed 22% of the mothers who breastfed for up to two months experienced chronic pain four months after the surgery compared with just 8% of mothers who were able to continue breastfeeding for two or more months.

Over half of the mothers who breastfed reported suffering from anxiety. The researchers are looking at further data and combining it with the results of this study, to see whether anxiety could be linked to chronic pain after a c-section.

What does this mean for mothers?

Caesarean section is one of the most common surgical procedures in the world. The procedure accounts for about 20-30% of births in many countries, such as the US, the UK and Australia.

This is despite the fact that World Health Organization (WHO) and other leading health experts recommend that c-section rates should remain at about 10-15% to gain the benefits of the surgery.

This is one of the few available studies that explore how breastfeeding can reduce a mother’s pain after a c-section. It can be difficult to initiate breastfeeding after c-section, particularly if your hospital has certain policies about separating mothers and newborns after surgery.

Discuss with your care provider the importance of early skin to skin time and breastfeeding – not just for your baby’s health but also for your own wellbeing.

 How does a caesarean birth affect breastfeeding?

When you give birth vaginally, you can choose whether or not you would like to use pain medications in labor. Obviously, this choice is not available for women who have an elective or emergency c section, as major abdominal surgery without any pain relief is not an option.

The pain medication used in a c-section surgery is not harmful to your baby. However, it passes through your baby’s system and can sometimes result in a sleepy baby who doesn’t show as much interest in initiating breastfeeding soon after birth.

Women who birth under general anaesthesia will need a period of time in which to recover. This delays the moment they are first able to hold their baby in skin to skin contact. The delay can have a negative impact on early breastfeeding initiation and can potentially result in delayed milk production.

When women birth via c-section, the level of abdominal pain can sometimes make it difficult for them to find a comfortable breastfeeding position. You can refer to the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s resource ‘Breastfeeding after a caesarean birth’ for helpful suggestions on breastfeeding positions.

Remember, if you are experiencing any breastfeeding difficulties, seek help from a Lactation Consultant.

It’s also important to remember that it isn’t necessary to have a vaginal birth in order to breastfeed successfully, and that having a caesarean birth doesn’t mean that you will have breastfeeding difficulties. Many babies who are born via c-section have mothers with an abundant breast milk supply and little to no breastfeeding difficulties.

For more information you can read BellyBelly’s article 8 Tips For Breastfeeding Success After C-Section.

Benefits of breastfeeding after caesarean birth

Breastfeeding provides many health benefits for both mothers and babies.

You can read more about this in BellyBelly’s article 5 Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Baby and Mother.

The World Health Organization recommends babies start breastfeeding within one hour of birth and continue exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life.

As well as reduction in pain after surgery, as mentioned earlier, there are other benefits of breastfeeding for babies born via c-section.

Benefits of skin to skin contact

Breastfeeding promotes skin to skin contact with your baby. Allowing baby skin to skin contact after a caesarean birth helps to regulate heart rate, body temperature and breathing.

For further reading, you can refer to BellyBelly’s article Benefits Of Skin To Skin Breastfeeding.

Benefits for a healthy microbiome

The way in which your baby is born affects the baby’s microbiome. Babies born via a vaginal birth are exposed to microbiota that are different from those of babies who are born via c-section.

When you share skin to skin contact, it also exposes your baby to the unique flora of your skin and helps the baby grow a healthy microbiome.