I?m a little confused over the choice of these drugs and which one would be my best option, should I find myself crying out in extreme agony and unable to cope during labour.
Personally, I?m quite anti-pethidine because I?ve heard friends talk about how it made them very sick and feel horrid plus I know it can make baby very sleepy for a few days and even lead to them needing a bit of resuscitation from doctors at birth.
Diamorphine seems to have a lesser effect on baby in the early days and doesn?t make you as sick but in my hospital it is viewed as the stronger of the 2 narcotics (peth and dia) and only given on their delivery unit (whereas you can have peth on birth centre- though not for a water birth). In my mind this is a better option and yet the hopsital disagrees.
And then there is meptid- something my midwife didn?t even mention. It seems like a weaker narcotic (so less side effects for you and baby- but obviously less pain relief too) and one that is even compatible with a water birth (my dream birth scenario). Is this still used today? Does anyone have any experience of it?
Cheers!
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Pregnancy
Pethidine, diamorphine and meptid?
CalaLilly · 21/01/2011 09:48
Hi,
I wanted the water birth etc but things went a bit wrong (polyhydraminous, DD not decending properly etc) so wasn't allowed to go to the pool.
I was offered a choice of all 3 above. Didn't want pethedine and midwife in the room told me it wasn't great and would probably affect the baby so I wasn't keen.
She offered meptid but immediately told me that it wasn't very effective and really not worth bothering with.
So I went with diamorphine. But I persuaded them to give me a half dose. Firstly because I didn't need total numbness just something to take the edge off. And secondly because you can then have the other half dose 5 hours later. 
Diamorphine was excellent. Didn't feel sick or drugged up (perhaps half dose helps with that) just really effective pain relief.
I later went on to have an epidural and then later a spinal for EMCS and I can honestly say that the total numbness and pressure sensation discomfort from epidural was really unpleasant and I would never ever have one again - you couldn't pay me.
But the diamorphine was excellent. I had it at an early stage and it was a further 24hrs before DD made an appearance and despite EMCS fed off me within 20mins of being born (showed rooting reflex with in 5 mins of being born and laying on my chest). And didn't appear drowsy or affected in anyway. Her APGAR scores were 8 and 10. So just fine.
So there you are. One vote for diamorphine.
I used pethedine for both dds birth. Neither baby was drowsy, I wasn't sick but g&a had made me a little sick with dd1. When I went to NHS antenatal classes, pethedine was treated like the the devils spit 
but when I was in labour with dd1 (a long back to back labour) the midwife advised me to use pethedine, when I explained that I didn't want to because I "didn't want to let the baby down", had been warned off it at the classes etc, she was lovely and very reassuring.
I had pethedine and it really helped me get through the last bit of dilating, I think I only was given a small dose because I was still v 'with it' and could definitely feel a lot of pain still, but it helped me to relax and took the edge of it all.
DD did end up with jaundice though, we were in hospital for a week because of that, and I do think that might've been partly down to the pethedine, DC2 is due on monday and I'm going to try and avoid pethedine this time - last time it was that or nothing, as I was stuck on a ward till I was pushing and they didn't even have any gas and air 
I had meptid with DS1. It was almost 15 years ago now, but I remember it being absolute rubbish and wouldn't bother again.
I had diamorphine with DS2 and DS3. DS2 wasn't really that sleepy despite me having it quite close to birth due to a short labour. DS3 was sleepy and they gave him an 'antidote' for the diamorphine but we later realised his sleepiness had been down to the fact he had Downs Syndrome which wasn't diagnosed for over a day.
I found diamorphne extremely effective at pain relief. It did make me out of it (was watching 'Beetlejuice' whilst affected by it with DS2, that was an experience! ) but I didn't mind as it helped me to sleep in between contractions too. I'd have diamorphine again but our hospital only offer pethidine and I do want to try a more natural birth this time as managed with only G&A last time as I had to really, so now know I can do it.
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