Effect of Anaesthesia for Delivery on the Weight of Infants During the First 5 Days of Life

Abstract

Two hundred and forty-one neonates who had been delivered vaginally were selected randomly. The control group consisted of infants delivered without anaesthesia. In the study groups either extradural (mepivacaine, lignocaine or bupivacaine), spinal or general anaesthesia was administered. Each of the six groups was divided into breast- and bottle-fed subgroups. The results showed no significant difference in weight changes among the various groups. The bottle-fed subgroup showed less weight loss than the breast-fed subgroup (P less than 0.05). There was no interaction between method of feeding and type of anaesthesia.