New Mothers More Likely To Experience Severe Pain And Sleep Problems After C-section

New mothers are much apt to acquisition terrible symptom that disrupts slumber and activities of regular living, arsenic good arsenic create slumber disorders, if they springiness commencement by cesarean transportation (C-section), suggests investigation presented astatine nan ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 yearly meeting.

Sleep is often overlooked successful postpartum recovery, but it is cardinal to a mother's beingness and intelligence health. Cesarean transportation successful peculiar appears to summation nan consequence for terrible symptom and slumber disorders, which tin lead to postpartum depression, reasoning and representation problems, and fatigue, arsenic good arsenic disrupt bonding pinch their babies and relationships pinch family and friends."

Moe Takenoshita, M.B.B.Ch., lead writer of nan study and postdoctoral scholar, section of anesthesia, Stanford University Center for Academic Medicine, Palo Alto, California

The study included some qualitative and quantitative analyses. For nan qualitative analysis, nan authors interviewed 41 mothers astir their symptom and slumber experiences aft childbirth, 24 of whom had vaginal births, 11 who had scheduled C-sections and six whose C-sections were unplanned. More than two-thirds of nan mothers who had C-sections (73% of nan scheduled cesareans and 67% of nan unplanned) reported terrible symptom that disrupted slumber and activities of regular living, compared to 8% of those who had vaginal births.

For nan quantitative study, nan authors analyzed a nationwide security database of much than 1.5 cardinal mothers who delivered babies betwixt 2008 and 2021. They wished that individuals who person C-sections are 16% much apt to beryllium diagnosed pinch a caller slumber upset (e.g., insomnia, slumber deprivation aliases obstructive slumber apnea) betwixt a period and a twelvemonth aft giving birth, compared to those who delivered vaginally.

New mothers, particularly those recovering from C-sections, should beryllium judge to negociate symptom adequately, since untreated symptom tin worsen sleep, said Dr. Takenoshita. Other measures that tin thief to amended slumber see regular workout arsenic appropriate, sleeping erstwhile nan babe sleeps, avoiding caffeine aliases intoxicant precocious successful nan day, and relaxing earlier furniture by taking a bath aliases practicing heavy breathing.

"About one-third of U.S. births are C-sections," said Dr. Takenoshita. "Those who are readying a C-section should understand that nan process is linked to much terrible symptom aft transportation and a higher consequence of slumber disorders. Anyone having slumber problems during gestation aliases aft childbirth should talk their concerns pinch their physician, who tin measure nan issue, make recommendations and mention them to a master if necessary."