A scientific study that links the application of synthetic oxytocin in childbirth to the lowest expression of oral and motor behaviors related to newborn feeding has just been published in the journal Early Human Development. That is, the work seems to indicate that the application of oxytocin in childbirth makes it difficult to start breastfeeding.
The research has been carried out by different specialties of the University of Illinois and has wanted to deepen the possible effects of the application of synthetic oxytocin during childbirth in the behavior of newborns, a topic that is still little known despite having clear suspicions of its negative effect.
What they have done has been to analyze the behavior of newborns, especially the behaviors that favor breastfeeding, and put it in relation to oxytocin application or not to their mothers.
To explore if fetal exposure to synthetic oxytocin It was associated with baby level of organizational relationship shortly after birth. 47 healthy and full-term babies (36 from a delivery with synthetic oxytocin and 11 with a delivery without this type of medication) were taken as research subjects and their behavior was videotaped within 50 minutes after birth in order to analyze Your pre-feeding reflexes.
The result of the study, the authors claim, is quite clear. In the case of babies who were born from a delivery with synthetic oxytocin, it is quite common for them to have a low level of pre-feeding behaviors, and, on the other hand, those born without this drug showed these signs in a common way.
The conclusion of the study is that babies born from a delivery in which synthetic oxytocin is applied have low or medium pre-feeding reflexes, which is unusual for those who have not received it, and it can be concluded that the application of oxytocin in childbirth makes it difficult to start breastfeeding, which is one more reason to avoid it as part of the protocols and use it only in cases of true medical necessity.
