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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

If childbirth hurts so much...

89 replies

tickingboxes · 08/11/2013 18:29

How come women don't vomit during it?

When I first got my period I was throwing up for hours. I'm terrified that labour will be the same. Someone reassure me :(

OP posts:

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BlameItOnTheBogey · 08/11/2013 22:34

I vomited through both of my births.

Noteveryday · 08/11/2013 22:39

I vomitted all the way through labour and up to an hour after DC 1 was born. You can ask for an anti-emetic if you do throw up, if you are still coherent enough to ask. It might work, the next time I threw up a lot less.

FWIW I do not usually vomit whilst in pain, it was a weird reaction to labour, along with constant shivering like a dog.

Yika · 08/11/2013 22:47

Er... I know you said 'reassure me' ... I have a feeling this thread isn't doing that. I've never vomited from period pain but I did puke once in labour. I then said 'that's it! I want the epidural now' after which I slept through the rest of it. They woke me up in time to deliver the baby in the morning (painlessly). Wuz lovely.

stickysausages · 08/11/2013 23:09

To be honest... it wasn't puking I was worried about... it was pooping.... which I did do... in the pool.... according to Hubby...

mousmous · 08/11/2013 23:19

if you want to watch it again it's already on the bbc iplayer.

mousmous · 08/11/2013 23:19

oops wrong thread

MrsBungleScare · 08/11/2013 23:21

I did. Lots and lots!

viperslast · 08/11/2013 23:28

Lol the op asked for reassurance not horror stories!

Op some women do vomit in labour but many (most?) don't. Personally I don't think there is a direct link to vomiting from period pain and vomiting in labour. Although the pain can be described as similar to period pain it really isn't quite the same especially as labour progresses. You can't know how you will react until it happens but the best labour experiences tend to be when you are calm and feel as in control as you can so I would suggest you spend some time trying to stop thinking about being sick and accepting it will either happen or not and, if it does, your midwives will deal with it just like everything else. They see it all every day so try not to stress

notadoctor · 08/11/2013 23:32

I think (as you can tell from this thread!) different people's bodies respond very differently. If you are someone who vomits a lot through illness or pain chances are you may be sick in labour - I am and I did. It didn't really bother me though (probably because I'm quite used to vomiting!) and the midwife didn't bat an eyelid! Please don't worry too much, I found the idea of labour was much scarier than the reality.

ALittleBitOfMagic · 08/11/2013 23:34

Period pain has made me vomit many times . Childbirth hasn't so far

But on OBEM I've seen a fair few women vomit !

NoComet · 08/11/2013 23:39

I did throw up the hospitals only part rehydrated vegetable soup, and gave up on the gas and air because it made me feel sick while having DD1.

I had DD2 at home, no hospital food, gas and air was great

DanglingChillis · 08/11/2013 23:50

I use to vomit every month because of period pain so I know where you are coming from. Labour is much better than that IMHO, it's a different kind of pain, more physical than the 'I feel so ill' pain you get with period pain. And, FWIW, both my mother and I no longer had period pain after having children. How's that for a result?

Having said that I did vomit during 2 of my labours, I think probably due to the masses of G&A I had (or possibly transition). DC3 arrived too quick for G&A and so no chance to vomit. Overall I'd rather have the longer labour with G&A and vomit, the vomits had less of a buildup to period pain ones and were over quicker and were less exhausting.

Hope that's slightly better news than some of the other posts! I think if you've not ever vomitted during your period it's hard to understand the pain/vomit connection you are making. My Mum told me that labour pains was far better than period pain, I completely agreed (quite enjoyed being in labour actually, far better than the months of pregnancy), so hopefully you'll be the same. but if you're not there's always pain relief.

duchesse · 08/11/2013 23:52

I've had 4 births of different durations and types- one augmented in hospital, two at home and one crash cs just to round off the birthing experience. The only time I came close to vomiting was after the CS when my blood pressure crashed to 60/40 because of the morphine (apparently I'm not good with opiates...).

AWomansPlace · 08/11/2013 23:54

I vommed the entire time, everywhere

BraveLilBear · 09/11/2013 01:40

I used to vom every month when I first got my period asa tteenager but had always put this down to the hormones.

In labour I felt very sick at one point due to a pethidine and gas and air combination... but sips of water between contractions helped a lot, and after transition I didn't feel sick any more.

I was very sick after I finally got some tea and toast 6 hours post delivery (ended up with spinal block and forceps) but this eventually stopped after an anti emetic.

With my rational head on tho I think that my body simply responds to massive shock with being sick - same thing happened after needing surgery under GA in early pregnancy, and I once spent 2 hours throwing up after a half marathon.

Everyone is different - if you're sick, no one will bat an eyelid and you won't mind either. If you are very worried about the prospect, put a desire for an anti emetic in your birth plan and make sure that your birth partner knows, too.

Good luck!

zzzzz · 09/11/2013 01:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DuckSongRocks · 09/11/2013 13:03

I vomited, just water though (does that make it any better!) quite late on. Contractions stopped/slowed at 10cm and she was stuck. Puked a bit then pushing started.

Yep that hurt. No poop though :)

Original poster

tickingboxes · 09/11/2013 13:12

Oh God. No, it's just I've read so much about poo/piss during childbirth, and nothing about vomiting my stomach is quite sensitive to cramp-like feelings. Not food, thank God, it can withstand a lot of dodgy food, but I think labour is going to be a nightmare!

OP posts:

PatoBanton · 09/11/2013 13:17

OP, most women I know did not vomit during labour. It is by no means essential to.

I often feel nauseous before and during my period, not because of the pain but because of the proximity of uterus and bowel I suppose - having a retroverted uterus can I am told exacerbate this.

I also had HG during all three pregnancies. But I wasn't sick in any of my labours.

In the first one I had a heavy duty epidural and I was sick about 12 hours later - not that I had anything to bring up, and I didn't feel nauseous exactly, but I think it was side effects from the epidural or something like that (maybe the local actually, I don't know - the one they give you for stitches? as I react badly to codeine) and I kept retching. It stopped when they gave me some drugs through my cannula.

The worst thing was I couldn't feel my legs even then and it took me about 24 hours to be able to stand up, so I couldn't go to ds who was crying for a feed and no one came to help so he went back to sleep. Awful.

Second time I had a homebirth and wasn't sick but during transition I felt like I might be, purely from the pressure which was both downwards and upwards if that makes sense - it was like a mechanical thing though, caused by contractions and no nausea involved. It passed very quickly. That birth really hurt though, no drugs at all.

Third one I had another epidural but much lighter dose I think and I only felt nauseous later, I hadn't eaten much, and couldn't bring myself to, and it was that kind of vicious circle situation. But the labour itself did not make me sick.

I hope that your labour goes as well as possible, and even if you are sick it won't be the most important thing on your mind.

PatoBanton · 09/11/2013 13:18

I think you can have something if it is bad - metoclopramide works for me quite often.

If you're in hospital they can give you something through a drip so it doesn't come straight back up.

Try not to worry x

DontmindifIdo · 09/11/2013 13:23

oh yes, I threw up evreywhere, but they put me on a drip. Mention it to your midwife.

OrangeMochaFrappucino · 09/11/2013 13:28

I vomited in early labour but it was just 'clearing out' - no nausea, just my body telling me it had enough to be getting on with without digesting food! I managed a couple of biscuits in between pushes later on! I also didn't find it very painful. And in normal life I am very cowardly when it comes to pain and vomit at the drop of a hat. Childbirth was completely different. Good luck!

PS. I always recommend reading 'Ina My's Guide to Childbirth' for lots of positive birth stories and reassurance about the whole experience!

NichyNoo · 10/11/2013 08:30

I vomited with every contraction post about 5cm dilated. Was just in so much pain. It was the main reason I eventually had epidural as I was wasting all my energy on vomiting and would have been to exhausted for pushing otherwise.

charitygirl · 10/11/2013 08:34

I'm sure someone's already said ths but they can give you anti-emetics in labour, to stop you vomiting. The gas and air made me vom which was unfortunate, and with DS2 I threw up in transition (despite no pain due to epidural - what's that about?) and just after delivery. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of labour tho - do try not to worry!

Sunnysummer · 10/11/2013 09:27

I do occasionally vomit with periods but never vommed in labour - it was a different type of intensity and focus, in my experience. I was fortunate to have a great experience, it is possible Good luck!

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