Epidurals, or spinal anaestesia, may hinder woman's ability to properly breastfeed her newborn baby.

A team of Australian researchers looked at 1,280 women who had given birth, 33% of whom were given an epidural. Overall, 93% of the women breastfed their babies for at least the first week.

Australian study has found that women who are given an epidural have a harder time breastfeeding during the first week after their child is born, and that overall they are more than likely to stop breastfeeding their baby earlier, compared with women who had been given no pain relief during labour.

72% of women who had no pain relief were still breastfeeding when their children were 24 weeks old, compared with only 53% of women who received an epidural or the painkiller, pethidine.

Epidurals are frequently given to women during labour to ease the pain of the birthing process. Australian researchers have found that a chemical fentanyl found in the pethidine anaesthetic causes problems with lactation within the first week after childbirth.

The study also found that women who were given an epidural, were more likely to totally stop breastfeeding at 6 months after childbirth.

"Whatever the underlying mechanism, it is important that women who are at higher risk of breastfeeding cessation are provided with adequate breastfeeding assistance and support, both in the initial postpartum period [just after birth] and the following few months," researchers note.