Breastfeeding Helps Reduce Post-section Pain
It is well known that breast milk is the most suitable source of nutrition for a baby during the first months of life, in addition to which breastfeeding is known to have other benefits for both the baby and the mother. According to some sources, breastfeeding even helps reduce post-section pain – although the issue has not yet been studied enough.
Statistics show that the number of sections, or caesareans, is on the rise in many countries. For example, in the UK, US and Canada, 25% of children are born with a section.
Studies show that one in five mothers who have had a section experience chronic pain for more than three months. However, recent studies have shown that breastfeeding can act as an effective antibody to post-operative pain.
How does breastfeeding help reduce post-operative pain?
The above results were obtained in a study carried out at the University Hospital of Seville, Spain, by Dr Carmen Alicia Vargas Berenjo and colleagues. The study involved 185 women who underwent a section at a hospital in Seville between January 2015 and December 2016.
The researchers interviewed mothers asking about their breastfeeding as well as the degree of chronic pain during the 24-75 hours post-section. The mothers were then re-interviewed four months after the cesarean section.
According to the researchers, 87% of mothers breastfed their children, but only 58% of them responded that they breastfed for two or more months. The results of the study also showed that 23% of mothers who breastfed their babies for two months or less experienced sectional pain in the wound area for another four months after surgery. However, this was not the case for mothers who breastfed their children for a longer period of time. In contrast, only 8% of mothers who breastfed for longer reported experiencing chronic postoperative pain.
Prolonged breastfeeding helps reduce post-sectional pain
Thus, the results of the study showed that mothers who were breastfeeding for more than two months were less likely to experience persistent pain. According to researcher Carmen Vargas, these results show that the fact that a woman breastfeeds for more than two months protects her from chronic postoperative pain. The risk of experiencing chronic pain triples if a mother breastfeeds her baby for only two months or less.
According to research data, women with a college degree were less likely to experience post-section chronic pain than mothers with lower education. In addition, 54% of breastfeeding mothers reported experiencing anxiety. It should be noted that the study was not designed to describe other causal connections, but the researchers said anxiety experienced during breastfeeding may increase the risk of experiencing postoperative pain.
Benefits of breastfeeding against uterine cancer
Research in Australia also confirms that breastfeeding promotes maternal health. According to a study by the Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, breastfeeding not only protects the fresh mother from chronic pain, but also helps reduce the risk of uterine cancer.
Experts analyze studies in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Austria. Risk factors for endometrial cancer include age, ethnicity, education, oral contraception, menopause, previous pregnancy, and body mass index. In addition, the researchers noted that women who were breastfeeding had a higher level of protection against that cancer than women who did not breastfeed.
These findings not only encourage women to breastfeed their children more, but also help society understand the long-term effects of breastfeeding. However, according to the researchers, the study does not show that women who do not breastfeed their children are more susceptible to that cancer.
