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Original poster

Pethidine does it work

50 replies

Lovelight · 19/06/2019 13:34

I've had a epidural, gas and air,what does pethidine feel like was it a good pain reliever through labour

OP posts:
DappledThings · 19/06/2019 13:38

Was great for me. Meant I could actually get to sleep. Could still feel contractions but were sort of turned down.

However it was assumed I was still in early stages and I wasn't checked. Turned out I was actually dilating really fast and I delivered about 2 hours later and DS came out really sleepy. Had to have emergency team come and help him hut he was fine after about 10 minutes.

VisionsofJohanna · 19/06/2019 13:41

I liked it! Although kept asking DH if I was still alive once it kicked in Blush
Helped very much in a very long early stage (induced labour). Would have it again.

needsleepzzz · 19/06/2019 13:41

For me i felt spaced out in a sleepy dozy way between contractions, with each contraction i was more 'with it' still felt painful but less so than before the pethidine.
Baby did get distressed during birth though, so ended up with an epidural and an assisted delivery, was fine once born though, not sleepy at all, no idea if it could have been sleepyness that caused distress though.
Would use again if i have another, gas and air did sod all for me :-(

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General health
Bluerussian · 19/06/2019 13:46

I've never had Pethidine but have heard some very favourable reports of it as a pain killer and relaxant.

DoYouNeedAWee · 19/06/2019 13:50

I really hated pethidine! I was already exhausted from a long early labour and it made me even more tired and not "with it" but not able to sleep due to the pain therefore I was too tired to be active to help baby get into a good position, he ended up in a very awkward position and got stuck so needed an emcs.

golddustwomen · 19/06/2019 13:59

Loved it and will be having it again if I have another baby. Completely took the edge off for a while.

BikeRunSki · 19/06/2019 14:01

I loved it, but it made DSis throw up.

LittleGinBigGin · 19/06/2019 14:01

They gave it to me too late so it didn’t have time to work 🤷‍♀️

Macca84 · 19/06/2019 14:02

I had it but cannot remember anything whilst on it. DD's dad said I basically talked absolute random shite for about 90 mins, but I was definitely in less pain Grin

Original poster
Lovelight · 19/06/2019 14:02

Thanks everyone

OP posts:
IamPickleRick · 19/06/2019 14:02

Pethadine made me feel like when I have one of my seizures, I have epilepsy. It’s not unpleasant really. Just totally spaced out and unable to give two shits about anything. It was fine.

Buddyelf · 19/06/2019 14:04

Hated it. Made me vomit and it made me so spaced out and sleepy I don’t remember huge chunks of my labour. I felt out of control and I don’t like that, especially as I then needed an epidural/spinal/csection and I was so out of it it felt like a nightmare.

GrapefruitIsGross · 19/06/2019 14:12

Amazing at first- I remember thinking “ This must be why people do drugs...”.

But it wore off and obviously you need to have a break before you can get another dose.

When dd was born she wouldn’t latch to the breast and was really really sleepy. We ended up bottle feeding as a result. With dc2 I skipped the pethidine and went straight to remifentenil (Amaaaazing) and he was able to latch straight away

TrixieFranklin · 19/06/2019 14:17

I hated it. Made me feel out of control, spaced out and sick. Its in my notes this time not to have it.

Lovethetimeyouhave · 19/06/2019 14:19

Here I was thinking I had it but it didn't help, to realising that that is why about 4 hours of labour are missing from my memory! And then I had epidural and forceps!

Poppyfr33 · 19/06/2019 14:23

Sent me to sleep, contractions then hit me and woke me up.

ElizaPancakes · 19/06/2019 14:29

Sent me to sleep both times.

popsadaisy · 19/06/2019 14:32

I had it in the early stages of labour at about 3am when I was just desperate to sleep. It helped, I still felt pain but it definitely made me feel a lot more comfortable and I'd have it again. I threw up randomly at about 12pm the next day (still in labour) and the midwife said to me that it was probably an effect of the pethidine, it wasn't bad though just threw up the once and then I was fine :)

chilledteacher · 19/06/2019 14:35

I think it depends. I was unlucky and had a really bad reaction to it. First of all I threw up but then I started hallucinating and thought the midwife was a clown. I panicked every time she came near me because I didn't want a clown to deliver my baby and couldn't understand where my midwife had gone. DH found the whole thing hilarious but in the end they had to get me a different midwife and I ended up having an EMCS because the baby was distressed.
My DSis on the other hand-swore by it!

butteryellow · 19/06/2019 14:44

I'd been having regular contractions for a week, and as a consequence had barely slept and was not coping at all! I went to hospital and refused to leave, and then begged for any kind of pain relief. After jumping through the paracetamol and warm bath hoops, I was finally granted some pethidine - the world retreated, and I had a solid 2 hours of blissful sleep. I think it was what gave me the strength to stick to gas and air until the spinal for my EMCS.

madeyemoodysmum · 19/06/2019 14:49

OMG. The clown story sounds awful!!!

katonic · 19/06/2019 15:09

Made no difference to the pain or intensity of contractions at all - I was induced and reacted strongly to the pessary within a couple of hours and my entire labour from first contraction to delivery was about 5 hrs so not sure it had time to work. Although I had it less than 2 hrs before delivery baby wasn't sleepy and latched fine. I will warn you that the injection site on my arm was sore for about 6 weeks after birth, made lifting my arm difficult. I wouldn't bother with it in the future.

BarrytheFatcat · 19/06/2019 15:09

It worked for me, I couldn't even feel the 4th degree tear I suffered! Although I got that spaced out with it I can't remember that much about my labour.

CottonSock · 19/06/2019 15:11

Got a bloody big really painful bruise..it worked a bit but the epidural was better!

SudowoodoVoodoo · 19/06/2019 17:31

**Buddyelf

Hated it. Made me vomit and it made me so spaced out and sleepy I don’t remember huge chunks of my labour. I felt out of control and I don’t like that, especially as I then needed an epidural/spinal/csection and I was so out of it it felt like a nightmare.**

This^^

Vile stuff. It just locked me in with the pain and there's no escape route if you don't get on with it. I only know I had a second dose because of reading my records after. By the time I really had any sense of connection to the world, I felt like I was on fire from my knees to my ribs and was shortly about to be whisked off for an EMCS and end up in HDU. It had a lot to do with the birth trauma because I'd felt so disengaged as it all spiralled out of control.

I didn't want it from the start. It was the only preference that I'd expressed for that birth. I was asked if they could burst my waters many hours into labouring through an all nighter after 24+ hours of regular contractions before even being admitted. The contractions then exploded through the roof so of course I accepted the offer of pethadine, I'd have sold my baby's soul at that point if it was going to help.

Second birth plan stated in block capitals that I refused pethadine in ALL circumstances and denied DH the ability to consent for me and that I would rather feel the pain with a clear head. And I did because I could focus on breathing with the contractions despite that baby being back to back too.

A spinal block on the other hand... total bliss and being pain-free for the first time in months Grin