Pethidine or Gas and Air which made me go bonkers?!!

[sarahhal]

Just thinking about my birth plan for number 2 due in three weeks. I had a quick (5 hr) labour with DS and managed with gas and air and pethedine. I did however feel totally out of control, had no idea how to push and was convinced they were using a trumpet instead of a ventouse to deliver my baby! I'm keen to feel more in control this time and without the orchestra - anyone know whether it was likely to be the G&A or the pethedine which made me so spacey? I'm not actually convinced that the pethedine made any difference to the pain relief so am more than likely to avoid it this time anyway.

I went barmy on pethidine with my first labour, and avoided it the second time for that reason. I remember being convinced there were bullet holes in the lift doors. And it didn't help with the pain; it just sent me to sleep between contractions. Rubbish stuff!

Sarahhal - same as you, I'm not convinced that the pethedine made any difference to my pain, guess I'll find out this time round as I'm intending to refuse it. DH quite upset at this decision as he said I was very entertaining, saying/seeing silly things!!. Assuming it was the pethedine and not the G&A as apparently my amusement factor went up after the injection!

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Don't know if this helps but during my labour I went giddy and nauseous on gas and air. Two midwives said that if that was how I responded to gas and air, it was likely Pethidine would have the same effect.

I shall avoid Pethidine in future.

Oh gosh you lucky lucky ladies...
I had a 14 hour labour, they initially gave me G&A which did nothing for the pain just made me giggle stupidly. so they gave me a lovely dose of pethadine which also did nothing for the pain but by that time i was flying so high on the ceiling i didnt care about the pain!
However dp is wasnt happy (poor love he should've tried the G&A ) as i wasnt in control at all.

i cant remember much of the birth but apparantly i was pushing at only 5cm, no matter what the mw said i wouldnt listen.As a result my little beans heartbeat was dropping with every contraction. when they finally did let me push he had the cord round his neck and also got his shoulder stuck because the poor little mite was shattered. i also passed out from the pain whilst pushing and nearly crushed his head with my legs!

Ive no idea which made me lose control but next time i am defiantly opting for an epidural so if anyone has had one let me know what its like.

I have short labours too, and had just gas & air with my 3rd child (now 6 weeks old!). I totally lost control and thought I was upside down on a trapeze. I have no recollection of the actual delivery although apparently I was begging for an epidural after the baby's head had been delivered .

It sounds pretty similar to your trumpet experience, sarahhal, and this was without pethedine. I was induced and it was very fast and violent - so I don't know how much of my reaction was to that and how much to the gas & air. I suspect the G&A.

I had G&A and pethidine.

The G&A was fantastic, but after the pethidine I definately started having wierd hallucinations and was talking absolute drivel. I was aware that I was talking drivel, but couldn't stop. That wore off eventually and went back to lovely G&A (incidentally was told that ex-smokers usually love G&A, but non-smokers can find it makes you woozy - as an ex-smoker I would agree....)

Midwife and dh prized it off me during the pushing stage as midwife wanted me more lucid for listening and concentrating, which actually worked well.

Would never have pethidine again.

I had pethadine during 1st stage of labour but had epidural once I was dilated enough. It made me dopey and sick, I could still feel the pain but had no way of coping with it! It was horrible and would never have it again. Epidural was greeaaattttt!!!!!!!!!

Pethidine and G&A first time - just felt drowsy, not drunk. Very disappointed. Just G&A 2nd time - off my head. Wonderful stuff.

I started off with G&A which was great. Then got into the birthing pool and my ds turned backwards so out of the pool I got!! At which stage my dh reminds me I went loopy with the pain. A shot of pethidine worked but I screamed for an epidural. Not the birth plan I had in mind and 21 hours later after the drip to start contractions again and he appeared I was violently sick. I will try to do it differently next time!!!

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Didn't have pethedine during labour for just that reason - it makes me as high as a kite. That said, have had it after numerous operations and absolutely love it to the point where it's been joked that it's my drug of choice.