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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:
Pruni · 25/10/2006 08:08

Message withdrawn

HauntedsandCastle · 25/10/2006 08:21

And then you could need a GA (hopefully not) which requires NO alcohol in the system AT ALL. So what will you do if they say you need a GA & you have been drinking? Not like you will be able to refuse if you/baby in danger!

lulumama · 25/10/2006 08:25

spiritual midwifery does indeed have a couple of stories where the women do drink a small amount to try to stop prem labour....but those birth stories are 30 or so years old....!

i would be more likely to go for a tried and tested method of pain relief in early labour...

zippitippitoes · 25/10/2006 08:28

I think having dinner and a glass of wine is a different proposition to alcohol as pain relief...of course you won't find any research papers published on that!

Lots of people don't even identify early labour or need any pain relief at that stage, surely?

HauntedsandCastle · 25/10/2006 08:29

yes pruni, when you have a tooth out (for example) we advise not drinking as you would keep bleeding & it wouldn't clot.

lulumama · 25/10/2006 08:30

yes, glass of wine with dinner is different..
early labour- whilst at home, for eg, with contractions every say 7 mins- you might use a birth ball, or get in the bath or use TENS etc...!

HauntedsandCastle · 25/10/2006 08:31

hey lulu...i'm good you?

Sorry for hijack here, but Lulu, why wouldn't you have had you VBAC??

lulumama · 25/10/2006 08:32

i did have a VBAC!

HauntedsandCastle · 25/10/2006 08:34

whoops, ok read your post wrong! So i take they told you not too? just asking as I'm going to try for a vbac next time (but not even pg yet, so a way off yet!)

moaningpaper · 25/10/2006 08:40

Haunted I thought that it was chronic alcohol use that "thinned the blood" due to the effect of liver disease? Can you show me where any such effect occurs temporarily after 3 units to such an extent that it might effect a medical outcome?

If you had 3 units at the beginning of labour, I cannot imagine that you would be whipped into the operating theatre for a GA in less than the time it would take for those units to leave your system!!!! (about 3 hours) Besides which, my understanding is that a GA can be done with alcohol in the blood, it just needs to be taken into account - just as food, pethidine, gas and air and anything else would - and a competent anaesthesiologist would be quite capable of making that call.

lulumama · 25/10/2006 08:42

aaah. i see

so many obstetric opinions highlight the dangers of a VBAC. the risk of rupture etc....which are smaller than many other risks..eg cord prolapse....i was also told i would have a time limit of 6 hours from getting into established labour ( ie 3 cm dilated) to delivery...!

also, when i got to the hospital, having had contractions for 11 hours, with the last couple of hours at 3 mins apart...was told i had not dilated...was just one of those women who didn't dilate..and they were going to take me to theatre for c.s.....

so DH explained that wasn't an option.....!

babylulu as OP...she turned whilst i was in labour...once they gave me a chance....and was born vaginally 3 1/4 hours later..

for someone who doesn't dilate..i went from 3 cm to 10 cm in 2 hrs 45 mins.....and this was after my first labour stalled at 2-3 cm after 8 hours ( failed induction)!!

you have my e-mail if you want to chat more about it!!!

Hijack over!!

HauntedsandCastle · 25/10/2006 08:52

MP, I am going on what all the dentists I have worked with in 15 years told our patients after extractions. I will look and see if there is anything to link to.

Again with GA, going on what I have used in my career. Ok, so it can be figured in, but not ideal, is it?

HauntedsandCastle · 25/10/2006 08:56

thanks lulu, it all sounds scary! I might just take you up on that and email you!

lulumama · 25/10/2006 08:59

please do haunted...it was the best day of my life ! seriously...very positive experience...xx

threebob · 25/10/2006 09:05

I just had two things which occurred to me;

  1. Most people go into labour in the early hours of the morning - are you going to want to have a drink at 7am?

  2. Alcohol is dehydrating - not something you want in labour

And a third thing - given the majority of people have not exactly agreed with you - it would only take one person at the hospital to take exception to your pain relief technique and you could end up with a whole world of pain courtesy of social services. Especially if you show up in the morning with alcohol on your breath.

moaningpaper · 25/10/2006 09:17

Hmm most mornings now that I HAVE children I'd like a drink at 7 a.m.....

Who knows whether the OP will feel like a drink? It doesn't matter. She's just asking for information about it. My labour started at 6 a.m. but went on for over 24 hours both times - so for the second, I had a few drinks in the early evening, when I did feel like it.

Yes alcohol is dehydrating which is why I suggested drinking lots of water too - essential for anyone in labour.

Saying that Social Services will take your baby away if you try this is just madness! She isn't sitting on a park bench downing whiskey. She is suggesting drinking a few units.

And there is always chewing gum

Haunted: No it isn't ideal. But who wants to aspire to ideal? Aspiring to an ideal birth makes thousands of women feel shit about themselves every year. Far better to just try and muddle through and use whatever you can to get through it.

Original poster
Bethbe · 26/10/2006 20:24

Thanks for all the contributions, whatever your opinion!

Thanks particularly to Moaning and Purple although their suggestions are in line with my gut instinct anyway! It still doesn't seem to me that there is a good case for NOT drinking, only for not getting drunk

In answer to some of the other questions:

Having 'correct' times for a drink doesn't hold it with me, - it's like saying I can't eat chocolate cake for breakfast, - and I SO can !

Social Services I know would not be called, even if I turned up blind drunk! It takes something a lot more serious than that before these overworked, understaffed, resource-starved would take any interest! I've worked with plenty of them and your child needs to be almost dead!

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 27/10/2006 08:07

I shall look out for your birth report

I hope it goes well for you anyway

sleeplessinhants · 27/10/2006 21:38

Bethbe, I would say 2 to 3 glasses of wine would be pushing it for you and the baby in the event you do need to have an epidural or general anaesthetic for that matter. However I did enjoy a glass of wine with my last meal in the very early stages of labour (it was xmas after all) and had a couple of paracetamol before going to bed to help me settle with no ill effects. If you are concerned about dealing with the pain, and who wouldn't be there are lots of safe options available I personally found the tens machine very effective in the early stages along with a birthing pool or just a warm bath, if your planning a hospital birth see how you feel but if you cann't cope just ask for an epidural everyone I've spoken to swears by them. GOOD LUCK

curlew · 27/10/2006 22:28

I did wonder about a joint - wonderfully relaxing and I would have been irritatingly nice to everyone in the delivery room as opposed to the surly cow I actually was........

StarlightMcKenzie · 03/07/2008 15:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

aiti72 · 03/07/2008 20:26

OK, I wouldn't want to think alcohol in labour as I was puking my guts out anyway. However, I don't understand when people say alcohol is not a pain agent, remember the mexican woman who a while ago in the mountains middle of nowhere performed her own caesarean with a kitchen knife (and saved her baby and herself) after drinking three glasses of vodka! IF alcohol was ok for the baby AND I wasn't sick in labour that would be my first choice of pain relief as well (believe me, tried them all). In right smallish amounts gives energy, alleviates pain and AND takes away possible anxiety!

lulumama · 03/07/2008 20:27

starlight grin]

avenanap · 03/07/2008 20:31

I tried this. I spent hours trying to get the medical student to pop to the pub across the road and get me a few double brandies. He wouldn't budge. I suppose he was too busy watching my fanjo.

morningpaper · 03/07/2008 20:33

I had a few bottles of beer and a pizza during the early stage of my second labour

I couldn't find any reason not to... and it calmed me down better than the bloody hypnobirthing did the first time...

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