What pain relief were you offered after C-section?

[PizzaConnoisseur]

I'm just wondering after reading another thread. I was in excruciating pain after having my daughter and could barely move. I was offered paracetamol, and it was only after really badgering them that they gave me codeine. I was offered stronger pain relief during a more minor op a few years before, so it seems strange that they would give so little after a major operation.

Is this now standard procedure? Or just a blip?

This time (within the lasts year) I had Paracetamol and ibuprofen. Had some oramorph in hospital before we came home.

Last time it was diclofenac, paracetamol and codeine.

Codeine is no longer supposed to be prescribed to breast feeding mothers as there have been links to codeine related deaths amongst babies of breastfeeding mothers taking codeine.
http://www.medicinesresources.nhs.uk/upload/documents/Evidence/Medicines%20Q%20&%20A/QA18855CodeineBMfinal.doc

First one I had paracetamol & diclofenac - had a massive reaction to the diclofenac so was paracetamol only for second one. I do find it appalling that I could take more for a headache or cold than I could for major surgery & be in charge of a newborn! I understand that it's for my baby's benefit but .... ow!

Oramorph (sp?)

Basically a lovely little cup of liquid morphine.

It was wonderful I'm very much looking forward to my second section in March!

Dihydrocodeine, tramadol, paracetamol. Got some dihydrocodeine to take home, as well, but didn't need it used it up later for bad headaches . Was in a lot of pain at the hospital, in shock, exhausted and in the first stages of what became severe and prolonged pnd (was EMCS and I spent 5 days in a shared room with 3 other mums and babies), so was probably on more pain meds than usual.

yeah I reacted really badly to diamorphine in my first section so for the others they used something else (much less effective & shorter lasting) in the spinal so I was in far more pain than is typical. Some midwives didn't seem to be able to grasp this with my second bitter so with numbers 3 & 4 I made sure the anaesthetist had it all written up before I went up to the PN ward.

Initially I was on a morphine pump then diclofenic and paracetamol.

Injection of morphine after DS1 - which was horrible. Make me sleepy and queezy and tbh I blame that for many things like my crappy breastfeeding start, my bonding with him - I basically passed out alone in the ward for his first 12 hours and I'm still regretting having it. I went into codeine the next day.

With DS2 I had codeine as standard. Alternated with paracetamol. I'm allergic to ibruprofen or else apparently I would have had that not codeine.

Oramorph, dioclafenac, paracetamol. But I didn't like the morphine so came off it a couple of days later, also was told I wouldn't be discharged still taking it. I sort of powered through it really. The paracetamol and dioclafenac didn't do much more than take the edge off, but I wasn't having the morphine again because I really didn't feel good on it. However I was lucky because my spinal took a while to wear off, so I got through the worst of the pain that way. Also although I find labour horrific, I cope reasonably easily with surgical recovery pain. It was more the feeling of being completely wiped out that was hard.

How did you lucky ladies get a morphine pump??!!

After my CS I got paracetamol & ibuprofen.

The lovely anaesthetist had prescribed oromorph but trying to get a midwife on the post-natal ward to give me some was near impossible

Any midwives on here- why is there so much reluctance to give any opiates despite them being prescribed on the chart & the woman begging in pain...?

Oramorph for first 12-18 hours then paracetamol.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen... I was in hospital for 3 days and went 14 hrs with no pain relief because they lost my medication chart? ! I was in absolute agony begging for paracetamol or anything to help take the edge off.
when there was a shift change and a new midwife realised what happened they put me straight back onto morphine to bring the pain back down.
I stayed on paracetamol religiously 8x a day for 2 weeks and was fine. It's now been almost 4 weeks and I don't really feel pain at all

DS4 (2013) - Paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine. Also oramorph for the first 48 hours.

DS5 (2014) - Paracetamol and ibuprofen. I had oramorph on days 1, 2 and 3, then the mean midwives told me I wasn't allowed anymore.

Morphine was a good painkiller but it made me hallucinate and feel so dizzy and sick. At one point they gave me 30mg of morphine. That really helped with the pain but it also nearly knocked me out too!

I hated that I couldn't take the pain relief I needed because I had to be conscious enough to look after the baby. I wish someone would invent a decent painkiller that doesn't have awful side effects.

Not c section but codeine after birth is a big no no for me, makes you very comstipated! Or I was just unlucky? That post birth poo is hard enough!!!

Not long had another Op and was told I'd have patient controlled morphine, woke up to no such thing! Was disappointed!

Had a spoonful of oramorph which was gross.

Oramorph and paracetamol. Although they forgot to give me anything about 24 hours afterwards, I was too out of it to realise that's why I was in so much pain and it wasn't until my DH went asking for some pain relief for me that they realised (after they told him off for him asking, apparently they couldn't just "give me" pain relief!!)

Looks like my experience wasn't uncommon from posts here.

I had paracetamol which did NOTHING. Had to cry and beg for anything else and was made to feel like a drug addict. Was awful awful time. Ended up with Percocet and had to beg and cry again to be allowed home with more some (feck, anything other than paracetamol). Was actually horribly upsetting as I felt as though my pain was deliberate somehow. Still makes me sad.

Both times - suppository in theatre, oramorph on the first night and then paracetamol and diclofenac with codeine on demand. I declined the codeine the second time because of the tragic breastfeeding case.

The paracetamol and diclofenac didn't touch the pain. I was left waiting for more oramorph for hours - the nurses are clearly told to withhold it for as long as possible. After being asked to wait yet a few more hours to see if the paracetamol would work this time I politely kicked off.

Speaking to the doctor later she said to have plenty of the oramorph for the pain. I pointed out that getting any from the nurses was like getting blood out of a stone! Next time I'll ask the anaesthetist to write me up for oramorph on demand.

Odd to hear about midwives not giving oromorph, never seen or heard this. It's usually available 2-4hourly, although some anaesthetists prescribe it hourly or up to 6hourly

mummy - I wasn't prescribed it, perhaps that's the issue. I can't remember the correct terminology but my drugs list thing had paracetamol and diclofenac every 4/8/whatever hours and codeine on demand. No oramorph.

On the first night, after my first section, the lovely nurse/midwife (are they midwives?) on duty offered me oramorph and said to take it because it wouldn't be so easy to get it after that first night. After the second section, I kept being told they needed to show that they'd exhausted the other options first. After I managed to get some late at night the nurse/midwife/whatever sternly told me that I couldn't be sent home on oramorph so if the pain didn't get better they wouldn't discharge me.

This is at the John Radcliffe in Oxford. I am planning a third child there and will be asking them to take a different approach next time. I was in quite a bit of pain after the first section but I could grit my teeth through it. After the second I was in much more pain and couldn't sleep because it hurt so much every time I moved.

I was in severe pain with my second and the nurses wouldn't give me anything stronger than paracetamol, codeine. My dh had a word and I got some tramadol. That is pretty strong and does make you drowsy so you have to be careful.

And another thing!!!

The ward was short staffed after my most recent CS and the drugs rounds were so late all the time it was hopeless. That's especially disheartening when you've just been told of the importance of taking your crappy painkillers on time even when you feel ok!

Morphine straight after and then codeine (although I only took one or two as I didn't really have much pain). No problem with bfing....

Drugs rounds are hard as there is often one dedicated person for it and maybe 30 plus people to get round...can't be given early so majority of people get drugs late as its can take a long time.

Foodporn - some units must use codeine instead of oromorph. Strange as codeine is seen as a poor analgesia with a lot of side affects. And yes they are midwives not nurses, although some units have a couple of employed nurses aswel for non-midwifery roles.

I had paracetamol and tramadol. Tramadol only for the first couple of days and just paracetamol after that. I felt ok on that though tbh.

I had nothing. Was sent home 2 days later and told to get some paracetamol from the supermarket on my way. Lucky we had some at home! Paracetamol and Ibuprofen did the trick

Ibuprofen and paracetamol. They gave me oramorph but after throwing up straight after surgery on morphine I didn't want to take it. Plus I hate feeling like I'm not in control and my body reacts quite badly to pain relief. Most people if they have a cold will take 2 paracetamol or an ibuprofen. I'll take 1 paracetamol and that's it for 8 hours. Otherwise I feel spaced out, lethargic, I've been known to hallucinate on codeine. What annoyed me is that the midwives were trying to force me to have the oramorph and I kept saying Id be fine. They just thought I was trying to be a hero when I wasn't at all. I was just trying to stay fully functioning with a toddler and a new born! When I had a visit from the midwife 5 days after she brought more oramorph with her! I told her to take it back along with the other one that had been given to me which I didn't want and remained unopened. I didn't think the pain afterwards warranted morphine to be honest. I've had tooth ache worse than that!