Apgar index values at one minute and five minutes were slightly but significantly lower
in neonates whose mothers had received epidural analgesia. Neonatal intensive care unit admission was
significantly more frequent in the epidural versus non-epidural group. Resuscitation was significantly
more frequent in the epidural versus non-epidural group. Early breast feeding onset was more frequent
in the non-epidural group. The adverse effect of epidural analgesia on early lactation remained
significant after adjusting for NICU admission and the need for resuscitation in a logistic regression
analysis. Epidural analgesia may have adverse effects on newborns, although the risks are low, and further
research is required to elucidate the causal nature of this relationship