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Original poster

Alcohol for pain relief in labour!

152 replies

Bethbe · 23/10/2006 12:44

I'm trying to find out about use of Alcohol as pain relief for the first stage of labour and can't find a thing about it! Can anyone help?

If I feel like it I'm planning to down a half a bottle of wine (maybe more if it goes on too long), or perhaps take the odd shot! I can't find any information to say that I shouldn't........can anyone help?

Bethbe

OP posts:
belgo · 23/10/2006 12:47

Are you for real?

lucy5 · 23/10/2006 12:59

This is a joke, right?

KellyKrueger1978 · 23/10/2006 13:01

trip trap

SherlockLGJ · 23/10/2006 13:02

It is half term girls, we are going to be over run this week.

lubella · 23/10/2006 13:03

I heard a very famous, fast-living Model -in the press constantly for the past year- had a bottle of Don Perignon to get through Labour, always thought it was a joke though....

spookegypt · 23/10/2006 13:05

for real!

Rhubarb · 23/10/2006 13:06

You shouldn't because, should anything go wrong, you might need an epidural and the alcohol in your bloodstream would hinder that.

It is a thought that crossed my mind when I was pregnant for the first time too - I thought, why don't women in labour just get pissed? But of course in the real world you can't do that! If you don't want any pain just have an epidural!

geekgrrl · 23/10/2006 13:08

actually, this was recommended by our NCT antenatal teacher. she said a couple of glasses of wine and some paracetamol would be good to have in the early stages...

lulumama · 23/10/2006 13:08

tee hee!!

but, on the off chance this is a genuine question.......

alcohol is not a recommended form of pain relief....an glass a glass of wine with a meal might relax you in later pregnancy ,but should not be consumed in large quanitites ...and steer clear of shots....

any alcohol you ingest will also be passed across to the baby via the placenta....not good in large amounts

also, if you turn up p*ssed to the labour ward.....do you not think that you might alert the authorites and get asked lots of awkward questions......

and if you do drink copiously, it might react with other medication - especially opiates...given in labour...putting you and your unborn child at risk

i wuold think tht the reason you can;t find any information about it ..is beacause it is not pain relief

....why do i bother.....

belgo · 23/10/2006 13:10

Didn't they use alcohol hundreds of years ago as an anaesthetic during operations? People used to die too during these 'operations'.

The idea of being drunk whilst in labour is horrifying, and very irresponsible.

zippitippitoes · 23/10/2006 13:13

I think there are a lot reasons against this and none that i can think of for!

...alcohol upsets your blood sugar levels which may be upset in labour anyway

...it will impair uyour ability to make decisions and could as rhubarb says be contrinidicated with any drugs/anaesthesia which you may need in an emergency

...will not create a good impression amongst medical staff

...may make the baby drowsy, low blood sugar level when baby needs to be at best for birth

...may slow or stop labour?

Original poster
Bethbe · 23/10/2006 13:15

I suppose the question does look a little irresponsible, but I did do a LOT of research on alcohol consumption during pregnancy and both me and my DH decided that moderate amounts were okay,

  • even beneficial in some cases (i'e bitter contains vit B and folic acid, - a shot of whisky can make the baby sleep at night - giving you rest, keeping you calm and therefore not passing anxiety onto LO etc.) - but obviously each person has to decide for themselves!

I'm certain that wine will have a calming effect and prefer it 100 times to pethidine (which also crosses the placenta!) but there really is no info out there............

I'm not at all planning to get drunk, I just figured that half a bottle (2-3 glasses during the first 10 hours or so) would help and would really appreciate being pointed to some research/recommendations etc....

Kelly, I'm genuine......

OP posts:
lulumama · 23/10/2006 13:15

bethbe...there are a lot of recommended ways to cope with early labour......why not investigate those.....

Rhubarb · 23/10/2006 13:15

A drowsy baby is not good for labour either, makes the mother work more, and you cannot follow your natural instincts to push if you are pissed, so you could well end up with more pain than you envisaged in the form of a ventouse birth or a forcep delivery.

Not what you'd want eh?

lulumama · 23/10/2006 13:17

whisky to help the baby sleep!!!

and have you been driniking moderately thoroughout the pregnancy? why not take folic acid tablets or eat leafy green veg...eeeek!

sorry - use of alcohol in pregnancy to bolster your health and help the baby sleep....seems a bit out of date...and possibly harmful

Rhubarb · 23/10/2006 13:17

You will not be allowed to have an epidual if you have consumed half a bottle of wine, you can phone up your maternity ward and check that out if you want. You might think that you don't want an epidural anyway, but should something go wrong and you need one, you'll regret foolishly drinking.

And alcohol does not necessarily make the baby sleep either - it can be a stimulant too.

Pethidine has an antidote, alcohol doesn't.

lulumama · 23/10/2006 13:20

good point about the pethidine rhubarb

if this is your first child...you don't know how you are going to cope with the labour, or how long it will be ....there are so many other things you can do, rather than drink...

geekgrrl · 23/10/2006 13:23

there are plenty of alternatives to pethidine, I think you will find that very few women have it nowadays.
Gas & air is much more effective than alcohol and the effect wears off immediately. Meptid is another drug that is very good, similar to pethidine without the nastiness.

If anything, I think drinking half a bottle of wine will make you sick during labour. Actually, the thought of being drunk or even just tipsy in labour is pretty grim. As Rhubarb has pointed out, at least there are antidotes to the proper analgesics.

zippitippitoes · 23/10/2006 13:23

I think there is very little to justify moderate alcohol in pregnancy..the advice now is none but if you do have any then it is occasional rather than moderate quantities

there are lots of sfaer ways to get nutrition and also pain relief..just walking around in early labour is good, a warm bath and gas and air once you are on the labour ward

Original poster
Bethbe · 23/10/2006 13:29

Oooops! .......I didn't mean to sound like an alcoholic, or irresponsible!

I drink only 1-2 glasses of wine a week, and the occassional half pint!

I regret ever asking, - but I do still want information - genuine links to research etc.

The plan never was to arrive at the maternity ward pissed!

It's certainly something people feel strongly about so I should have been a bit more careful with the wording perhaps!

I'm still hopeful for some genuine links to research etc. of use in labour!

OP posts:
belgo · 23/10/2006 13:33

'I'm planning to down a half a bottle of wine (maybe more if it goes on too long), or perhaps take the odd shot!'

Maybe you could have phrased that better

Alcohol was absolutely the last thing on my mind while in labour, felt far too sick to eat or drink anything.

zippitippitoes · 23/10/2006 13:33

to put it another way forget alcohol as pain relief and think about the range of alternaitve pain relief that is available

Rhubarb · 23/10/2006 13:33

Don't worry Bethbe - you sound a lot like me when I was having my first!

Ok facts are that if you drink during labour you may not be able to have an epidural should you need one.

You and the baby may well become drowsy and not able to function properly, making the need for a ventouse or forceps delivery likely.

The midwives would not be too impressed and alcohol is not allowed in a hospital.

Pethidine has an antidote that they use if you need an epidural or if it doesn't agree with you.

Run the idea by your midwife for more facts, but those are the ones I found out that put me off having alcohol during labour!

BATtymumma · 23/10/2006 13:34

As rhubarb has already said, being drunk would prohibit your instincts to push, i doubt it would act as any real pain relief unless you were copmpletley sozzled, by which time the baby would have also consumed a fair amount and be very drousy.

i really cannot see any reason for it. if your really against the use of modern midecine then get your brave hat on and go for the natural method.

I had an epidural for my first and nothing for my second...if i ever have a third i will have no medication again.

and the idea of whisky makes me shudder. sorry but its not something i would advise.

if i am 100% honest i cannot understand why anyone would do hours of research into alcohol during pregnancy. i can't understand why drink would be that important to anyone without a missuse problem.
surely when your extatic about having a child you would simply not take the risk?

lulumama · 23/10/2006 13:35

i think the fact this has provoked such strong reactions and no-one has been forthcoming with links to proven research tells you all you need to know.....

drinking several units of alcohol a week is not recommended in pregnancy....

i am not really understanding WHY you want /need to use alcohol when there are other tried & tested ways to get pain relief

TENS machine

water - birth pool or bath

birth ball

gas & air

aromatherapy

hypnobirthing

relaxation & visualisation

staying mobile & active as long as you can

pethidine

diamrophine

epidural

have probably missed a few

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