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Original poster

Radio 4 just now, woman in labour 'given paracetamol' for labour pain!

159 replies

0o0o0o0 · 27/02/2023 13:20

Shock just Shock

OP posts:
Birdsbirdsbirds · 27/02/2023 13:23

Me too. Literally gave birth on two paracetamol, against my will I might add. I gave birth on induction suite, after calling staff several times and wasn't believed when I said I was ready to push, couldn't have possibly been at that point and therefore didn't need pain meds. I wish id thoroughly complained at the time but I just wanted to get the fuck out of there.

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 27/02/2023 13:24

After 5 hours pacing the corridors alone, hunkering down on hands and knees during contractions, in a maternity ward in 1990, an angel came up and spoke to me (the first attention I’d had for 4 ½ hours). Would you like some pain relief? She asked. Oh yes please I gasped. She came back with two paracetamol.

And that, dear readers, along with all the other incidents (most notably stuck in the lift and ignored for 20 mins, epidural given when they thought I was someone completely different, being told off for not having brought my bag with me from the labour ward to the delivery room but expecting someone to carry it for me when my contractions were nearly constant) is why I had Baby No 2 at home.

Birdsbirdsbirds · 27/02/2023 13:25

If I was going to have number two I think I'd be inclined to do it at home too.

Nimbostratus100 · 27/02/2023 13:26

I remember the bag carrying thing - when it was time to me to go into the delivery suite, I was shown to the door of the ward and handed my bag and the door was closed. I wasn't even given directions.

ICanHideButICantRun · 27/02/2023 13:28

The same thing happened to me when I had my children. When I had my first child I had been in labour for 12 hours and pushing for three hours solid. I had a forceps delivery and a third degree tear with just gas and air. The morning after I couldn't get onto the bed without two nurses helping me. They asked if I wanted pain relief and I was crying and said I did. They gave me two paracetamol and I cried even more!

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 27/02/2023 13:33

It’s so wrong. But according to the nhs paracetamol cures everything and is dirt cheap .. so off you pop and stop complaining. (🤬🤬🤬)
Next stop, no pain relief for anything, when they decide that paracetamol causes xyz (insert your choice here of disease/organ failure/addiction/over dose).

AnotherVice · 27/02/2023 13:48

Paracetamol is indicated for mild to moderate pain so perfectly reasonable in early labour.

EarringsandLipstick · 27/02/2023 13:50

I assume the context for this is that gas & air is not available in many trusts due to an identified H&S risk for midwives / HCP who are exposed to the exhaled gases.

Original poster
0o0o0o0 · 27/02/2023 13:51

'Women and birthing people' - Sarah Montague 🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
0o0o0o0 · 27/02/2023 13:52

I wonder what percentage of 'birthing people' are not women? 🤔

OP posts:
Magentax · 27/02/2023 13:52

This is about gas and air?

I actually think we do need to get rid of it - it's not the only pain killer available and the UK is way behind on this issue.

Original poster
0o0o0o0 · 27/02/2023 13:52

AnotherVice · 27/02/2023 13:48

Paracetamol is indicated for mild to moderate pain so perfectly reasonable in early labour.

The woman in question was in full labour

OP posts:
Bauhausstolemyhair · 27/02/2023 13:53

@AnotherVice We must have different pain thresholds. I didn't get past 5cm and was in agony on 2 paracetamol.

Meganshappyhour · 27/02/2023 13:53

If the birthing people were male the gas and air issue would have been sorted by now ! ConfusedAngry

ChicaneOvenchips · 27/02/2023 13:53

I was given 2 paracetamol for my first 14 years ago. I was induced and this was given to me in the first hour or so. 6 hours or so after that I was then allowed pethidine (wish I didn't bother as made it too difficult to focus my energy on pushing).

Arthurflecksfacepaint · 27/02/2023 13:54

Meganshappyhour · 27/02/2023 13:53

If the birthing people were male the gas and air issue would have been sorted by now ! ConfusedAngry

And they wouldn’t be given fucking paracetamol.

LunchBoxPolice · 27/02/2023 13:55

I got through my labours on paracetamol alone. I didn’t want anything else

Brefugee · 27/02/2023 13:55

If the birthing people were male the gas and air issue would have been sorted by now !

i think the comparison would be if the gas and air was making the male HCP infertile or cause them complications this would have been addressed earlier.

where i live - no gas and air. For this reason i suspect. (the risk to the HCP)

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 27/02/2023 13:56

I had dd2 on two paracetamol. It was a home birth and I did have a birthing pool which helped, but the midwives somehow managed to bring gas&air cannisters and gas&air breathing apparatus that were two different types and would connect to each other. So just the paracetamol it was! I was very lucky to have a quick and straightforward labour.

Arthurflecksfacepaint · 27/02/2023 13:57

0o0o0o0 · 27/02/2023 13:52

I wonder what percentage of 'birthing people' are not women? 🤔

For fucks sake.

I have such a low tolerance for this shit.

Only women give birth, there’s no such thing as a birthing person and the sooner people suck that up and stop whinging, the better.

SleepingisanArt · 27/02/2023 13:57

I had birth plans for both my children which involved intravenous diamorphine- in both cases I arrived too far into labour (both nice and quick) to have my drug of choice so had nothing as I'd had some paracetamol at home and it was too soon to take more..... Different people have different pain thresholds so one size doesn't fit all.

TeddyBeans · 27/02/2023 13:58

0o0o0o0 · 27/02/2023 13:51

'Women and birthing people' - Sarah Montague 🙄

At least women got a mention this time! Quite the achievement at the moment it seems

Birdsbirdsbirds · 27/02/2023 14:00

EarringsandLipstick · 27/02/2023 13:50

I assume the context for this is that gas & air is not available in many trusts due to an identified H&S risk for midwives / HCP who are exposed to the exhaled gases.

It was very much available - they offered me it when they did my stitches directly afterwards.

Also paracetamol often doesn't cure a headache, it was not adequate for me for pushing a baby out and incurring a huge tear @AnotherVice

Overthinkingnotdrinking · 27/02/2023 14:00

Paracetamol is for a hangover. Not labour. I look forward to men being offered surgery just taking a paracetamol.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 27/02/2023 14:04

The birthing people who don't identify as women are female, or they couldn't be pregnant. Also, I can't reconcile opting out of womanhood with going on to do the most female thing imaginable, i.e., giving birth. What's manly or masculine or non-gendered about that? And for this we all get dehumanised and told we are birthing bodies, womb-havers, the nonsensical chestfeeders, etc etc.

I has my son on no real pain relief. It's nearly 30 years ago and I can't remember whether I had paracetamol, but I certainly didn't get an epidural. Gas and air wasn't much help. I was fortunate that it all went all right in the end. I remember that it was excruciating but fortunately I can't remember the actual sensation of the pain.