About 14 percent of women develop fevers after having epidurals. This can affect their babies: A 1997 study found that one-third of the babies whose mothers developed fevers of 100.4 degrees or higher after birth are subjected to many tests and procedures. These newborns undergo painful tests for sepsis (infection) because a fever can be an indicator of infection in the mother and, consequently, in her baby. The babies are taken to the neonatal intensive care unit to have blood drawn and, sometimes, to receive a lumbar puncture, a procedure in which fluid is removed from the spine. These babies are then kept in the hospital for up to three days, usually after their mothers have been discharged, and given antibiotics.
-Diana Korte, "The VBAC Companion, Harvard Common Press 1997
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 1 Issue 9, Feb. 26, 1999)
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