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Original poster

Do you think I was over-drugged giving birth?

56 replies

LemonOrangepea · 28/04/2021 14:51

I had pethidine which did nothing whatsoever. Then I was given my first epidural & as time went on, eight further top-ups. I also had vast quantities of Entonox. None of this touched my pain & I felt like I was being torn in half & at the point of dying. What it did do was make me badly hallucinate to the point I had no idea where I was, who I was or what was happening. In my first pictures I look like I have zombie eyes. I bit so hard my jaw hurt for 3 weeks after. Is this normal? There were no interventions like forceps etc.

OP posts:

MrsFin · 28/04/2021 18:48

I don't think pethadine does do anything for pain, I think it just makes you forget about it allegedly

Findahouse21 · 28/04/2021 18:52

I had just gas and air (only saying because I know it was this and not anything else). I was convinced that I was on Downton Abbey and giving birth on the show. Absolutely 100% convinced. The midwife and dh were in stitches. Then after dd so was I, but different stitches. I also hurt my jaw on the mouthpiece as well as digging my finger nails into the pads of my thumbs and my bum sort of down into the base of the pool. I was in agony afterwards but not how I'd expected

DIshedUp · 28/04/2021 18:55

No. You were in pain so they tried various methods of pain relief to help, they weren't successful so if there's a next time it might not be worth trying them.

You probably bit your jaw because you were giving birth, something which is very painful.

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Sarahlou252 · 28/04/2021 19:06

I had pethidine, it made me drowsy, spaced out, disorientated, sick, drunk, and sleepy. Apparently in between contractions there is no pain. But pethidine made me sleep through that, so ALL I remember is the pain. And it is not a painkiller.
Never again.

notagainmummy · 28/04/2021 19:09

No. There is no way to anticipate the affect on individuals of each drug. You were given safe drugs, at safe intervals. It's written down how often drugs can be given for safety reasons.

Maggiesfarm · 28/04/2021 19:35

I thought pethidine was an analgesic. Maybe the dose given for childbirth is not so strong but it is a synthetic opioid so should at least take the edge off.

I laughed at a previous poster's reaction to gas and air, thinking she was on Downton Abbey. The rest of it wasn't very nice though, I'm glad I didn't have it.

BertieBotts · 28/04/2021 19:42

Maybe your baby was back to back, that can usually cause those insane feelings.

Puttingouthefirewithgasoline · 28/04/2021 19:44

Convinced I was Barry White 🤣🤣🤣😂

Op my jaw hurt as well its very normal and sounds like you were in immense pain, I also thought I was being ripped in two and the pain relief didn't touch it

Ohnomoreno · 28/04/2021 19:44

I had that too. Sure I had "too many" drugs, but I did ask for them...

Puttingouthefirewithgasoline · 28/04/2021 19:45

Mine wasn't exactly back to back but slightly turned, it felt like my spine was being scraped... Interesting that bertie mentions this?

themalamander · 28/04/2021 19:49

I had no pain relief, but I still felt loopy and everything looked funny. Just pain and blood loss really. Your reaction could have been a reaction to the drugs, a side effect of labour or a combination of both.

Dollywilde · 28/04/2021 19:52

Sorry about your birth OP. I had pethedine in the early stages which was crap as it didn’t numb the pain but I felt like I was off my face and kept chatting absolute shit. I then started vomming which would have been worth it if it had done anything for the pain (it didn’t).
I then had a glorious epidural for 13 hours which got me to 9 inches, I think they topped up every few hours so maybe I had 4? Except the epidural top up failed at 6pm and they couldn’t get it working after that... DD was born at 11.30pm (forceps/episiotomy) and things got increasingly worse from 6 until 9.30 when I started pushing. On the one hand the midwives said it’s a bloody good thing it failed as I’d have been in for an EmS of pushing had gone on longer and the lack of epidural probably helped, but the final hours were horrific. I probably would go for an epidural if I VB again as the first 13 hours of it were amazing, but I’ll probably try to hold off until a bit later for it as labour slowed because I wasn’t being active and I wonder if epidurals don’t work on me after a certain time point, so I need to save them for when labour’s a bit more established. So I wouldn’t say you were over medicated but that you had a tricky birth. On the plus side if I do it again I feel I have a better understanding of my body - naively I thought a youth of dancing with a hit of MDMA with me would mean I knew how I’d react to drugs

Dollywilde · 28/04/2021 19:52

Nine CM! Not inches! Imagine

roguetomato · 28/04/2021 19:53

I was totally out of my mind with pethidine. Slurring and falling all over the place. That was quite funny.

BestZebbie · 28/04/2021 19:58

Tbh it sounds like you didn’t have enough drugs, as you were still in pain! Or more realistically, maybe not the ones most suitable for you.

RunHobbitRun · 28/04/2021 20:13

It doesn't sound like you were given excessive drugs but it does sound like what you had wasn't helpful and fairly common a reaction going by the experiences of women I know (and this thread). If you weren't expecting it though it must have been quite scary.

If you're concerned though please speak to your midwife and ask if she can go through your notes with you to explain what happened and why.

Coffeeandcake36 · 28/04/2021 20:19

It sounds like the epidural didn't work for you. I had an epidural and diamorphine it was great!! I kept falling asleep with a stupid smile on my face. I didn't feel a thing not even the forceps!! but I found the epidural slowed my labour down and prolonged things so I didn't have anything but gas and air the next two times. I felt more pain both back to back but it was over quicker and I felt less out of it.

RiderGirl · 28/04/2021 20:53

Ooh it doesn't sound like you were over drugged - when I had mine and they were rummaging about trying to get the placenta out, I asked if they were going to pull out a standard lamp, like out of Mary Poppins' carpet bag, thought I was frigging hilarious. I was also convinced that one of the midwives was one of the mums from the school playground...

DungeonKeeper · 28/04/2021 21:00

I had pethidine with my first. It did nothing for the pain but it did zonk me out. I came to every time I had a contraction then swiftly passed out again.

I was like this with diamorphine. Passed out inbetween contractions. Woke up, had contraction, passed out again. Did nothing for my pain. Oh but it did make me vomit, vomit, vomit too. Hideous.

Puttingouthefirewithgasoline · 28/04/2021 21:17

It's a shame women can't try the gas and Air before labour

Imissthegym · 28/04/2021 21:24

They tried different things to make you comfortable so no you weren’t over drugged.

My epidural only worked on one side of my body, it was very strange but obviously still v painful. Back to back babies are the worst.

Gas and air made me feel hammered. I quite liked it.

majesticallyawkward · 28/04/2021 21:44

I had pethidine with my first. It did nothing for the pain but it did zonk me out. I came to every time I had a contraction then swiftly passed out again.

Same here, first birth was pethidene and g&a. Pretty much passed out between contractions, came too during popmasters on r2 to shout out answers.

2nd baby I did hypnobirthing and the lady teaching it said pethidene mostly just makes you easier to deal with rather than relieving pain.

OP, it just sounds like you had poor reactions to the drugs. Not ideal but you can't tell what anyone's reaction will be before it's happening.

Levis501star · 28/04/2021 21:49

@Lollypop4

I only had Gas and air...Felt v.v drunk, hallucinated , I was in pain but it took the edge off so well. I wouldnt say you were over drugged though.

Same.... one big inhalation and immediately vomiting like motion sickness

Levis501star · 28/04/2021 21:50

Sorry quoted wrong post. Meant to quote osbertthesyrianhamster

Maggiesfarm · 29/04/2021 02:59

@Puttingouthefirewithgasoline

It's a shame women can't try the gas and Air before labour

Or even instead of labour! I'm told it is very pleasant.

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