Syntocin without epidural?

[cathyearnshaw]

Anyone done this? How bad was it? My waters went yesterday at 38 weeks and waiting to be induced but bloody terrified of the drip ! How bad is it and should I insist on an epidural?

My midwife said some hospitals won't use syntocin without an epidural, don't know if that's true? I lasted about an hour without, but each time they cranked up the drip the pain got worse, so I had the epidural in the end.
They told me you go into established labour much quicker with the drip so the pain is more intense.
It was 6 hours, start to finish with mine, and it was my first labour, so pretty quick. No bad side effects.
Good luck

Thanks wonderful mnetters! Have decided to go for it. 5 hours sleep in 2 days am already too knackered to do it without and have done natural previously . Exciting!! Just waiting for anaesthetist....

Great! You will be fine. Make sure you eat before the epidural, and rest while you can.

Look forward to hearing how you went on.

I had two inductions at 38 and 36 weeks with syntocin drip without an epidural. First one was delivered (and laboured) back to back and had internal monitoring for baby so my movements were restricted. Had a little gas and air with both.

It was a weird feeling for the contractions to keep speeding up but I just kept waiting for it to get worse. (Had spent 7 weeks on maternity ward prior to first birth so had heard every horror story about labour possible!!!)

It is a very personal choice, for me the labour never got 'that bad' but everyone and every labour is different and you must do what you feel is necessary for you. Good luck x

i should have had the epidural! i was on the synto drip for about ten hours. at first i was encouraged to keep going with gas and air and then pethidine. eventually i requested epidural when it got too much and they said no! apparently i was in too much pain to sit still. so i had more pethidine and ended up off my face on it. if you want the epidural request it before you are desperate for it.

Fully fully agree with others here- 0-100mph in no time. The contractions became very painful, very quickly. It got to the point where I was desparate and asking for some other relief than G&A, but I realised later that I'd been in transition at this point. DS was born soon after. Mercifully, it was a short labour. There was no discussion with doc or MW about the fact that contractions were likely to be more painful, and I'm not sure whether this was a good thing or not:)

I had syntocin no epidural, it was painful but my first and only child so no comparison. Yes it was a short labour as I had got to 4cm without any pain, just thought it was braxton hicks!

Ok so just to let you know how I got on, found the whole experience fantastic. Basically had the epidural before the induction so had to wait a while for the anaesthetist. I realised I would have been too exhausted to do it straight as had had about 4 hours sleep over 48 hours on antenatal ward.

It was wonderful to lie there feeling contractions while relaxed without too much pain plus knowing I could increase the epidural any time i wanted meant I kept the level really low.

Took 5 hours to get to fully dilated.

Again pushing was great- I enjoyed it! I was able to push with the contractions without getting lost in pain which is what happened in my iny natural birth. Meant I could push better and harder and wasn't tied up in pain. I controlled exactly what was happening. At one point I was laughing - with delight I think! Dd came out in about 4 pushes.

And afterwards instead of being traumatised by how painful it had been and getting flashbacks like I did w my normal birth, I focused on my baby.

So all in all the best decision. ESP for someone who needs to be in control like I do! I had no fear just got on with it.

I'm now lying in a post natal ward with my beautiful dd ( suffering from total urinary incontinence which is so bad I can't hold any wee at all - but that's sod all to do with the epidural!!! And will undoubtedly be another thread...

So glad I asked on here!

I had dc1 in same circumstances as you, and laboured with no pain relief for 2 hours, with tens for 2 hours and then with g and a for 3 at which point I took the epidural at only 4cms.

Last Monday, I had dc2 naturally with 2 cocodamol and g and a for pushing and there is just NO comparison between the two. The pain of transition was nothing compared to those early stages of the drip induction, it just felt so much more unmanageable on the drip. At the time I thought it was just about "bearable" mainly but really because it moves so quickly and ramps up pretty fast, it was hard going and I can't imagine what it would have been like to just wait to get to transition and to push with those drugs. I felt much more overwhelmed by it.

I would do natural labour without epidural again by preference, but if I ever end up needing an induction I will take the epidural if drip comes into the equation.

Ooops! Congratulations! Glad you enjoyed!

Congratulations. I found the incontinence ok by about two weeks post birth and maternity pads coped with it after a couple of days.

For anyone reading this while yet consider there own epidural options, I believe the headache is a side affect for about 1 in 100 epidurals. I know someone who had it and it's not nice, but I would take the risk again as epidural first time was great.

Thunks- I agree, had it not been an induction wouldn't have had an epidural as I coped last time on g and a. But so glad I didn't even attempt an induction without an epidural

Yellow - thanks for reassurance re weeing. Have been scared I've damaged my bladder as I can hold nothing, I stand up and it gushes. Am used to a certainlevel of stress incontinence in pregnancy but this is ridiculous. But apparently its not that unusual. Oh the joys....

I think it's because the catheter you have during epidural leaves you a bit bruised and swollen as well as normal birth bruising. But if still going on at 6 week check I would demand physio and a obstetrician appt to check for any damage.

I am pg with no 2 and had bad cough a few weeks ago and stress incontinence returned. I told midwife and she has referred me to an obstetrician next month to check there was no missed damage from first birth,.

hi cathy,

Great birth story and lovely to read. Congratulations! Hope you are enjoying your newborn. I can't wait!

Can I ask, were you able to be mobile whilst on the epidural? This is something I'd like to try if/when I am induced this time - just wondered how easy it is. I managed two positions only last time, but with hindsight reckon I could have done more and that this might have helped during the pushing stage (and potentially whilst I was dilating too).

TIA

My hospital (uclh) said all epidurals they give are mobile. I couldn't walk around but I could shift side to side.

Crochet- I was mobile but didn't get up. Could move around the bed and feel contractions . I kept the levels down really low. For pushing I told them I was going up on all 4s .

I had syntocin and a back to back baby.

I had the epidural and a very positive birth expirence!

Ooh, I had a mObile one too and was able to stay on the birthing ball next to the bed