No pain relief?

[Chloris33]

Don't get me wrong, I am all for making it easier on myself, but just not sure there's an option that suits me. Would like to try to avoid epidural this time (if I feel up to it) as last time I was immobile for whole (induced) labour, first with fetal monitor then epidural. I had severe nausea & vomiting throughout and I didn't like gas & air as it made me feel more sick (1st half of my labour was just gas & air). Not keen on pethidine as that can also cause sickness & I am so sickness prone. Which leaves me with, erm, nothing. This is 2nd birth so I'm hoping it will be a bit faster. Anyone managed it without even gas & air? Or I guess one option would just be to leave the gas and air until near the end when things feel toughest, then hopefully it won't make me feel as sick if I haven't been having it throughout...

Epic on first and I swore never again.

Three subsequent births I used tens machine (best thing ever), Panadol, gas and hypnobirthing. Its doable and I'm convinced that I probably would have ended up with section on my last if I had an epidural as I was running out of time and energy.

Thanks for the encouragement, ladies.

First one - 16 hour labour - no gas and air until I was about 11 hours in (not my choice, but the bastard midwives!!) They took it away for the hour and a half of pushing. It was agony, but I did it.

Second, denied G&A again, got in the water for pain relief, bit of gas and air eventually, but they took it away (again!!!) for pushing.

Third. Had to wait for the midwives to turn up at home birth, laboured for many hours without anything. Again. Had G&A for the last 3 hours. No one was going to take the G&A from my vice like grip.

So it is doable. It's just very very painful. Vote for the tens machine in the early stages, maybe try the water too, but I couldn't cope with at least a bit of G&A, even with the sick feeling.

Good luck! 2nd is easier (3rd's a bitch)....

I had no pain relief for my second birth, just yoga breathing which I highly highly recommend. Every other method of pain relief seemed like a massive distraction that would have to involve me coming out of the zone and i wasn't up.for that, also the contractions were not as painful as in dc1's birth. Crowning was extremely painful but short.

I was a bit in shock after giving birth though! Wasnt overly bothered about the baby for a minute or two while i got myself together. Also once the birth was over I found it very hard to let the midwives examine me etc, was literally clamping my legs shut!

Just keep an open mind. Because of meconium in waters i had to be monitored throughout and if for some reason you have to be and can't get a mobile monitor ( i had one) no pain relief will be very hard to do.

I used breathing techniques from my hyonobirthing book and cd to keep me calm. When i attempted gas and air I didn't like it so just threw it aside and did it without. I was sick a lot, but I did feel in control despite how much it hurt. If I had decided to have another I'd ask for an anti sickness injection, I had a quick labour though, so it might be pointless if we were to have a second.

I went to a birthing class when I was pregnant, where my husband was taught how to push on pressure points in the back. I know it sounds a bit 'alternative' but it was a huge help when I was in labour - there's a YouTube video showing how to do it: I found this one of the most effective things in early labour. Take a deep breath in and then exhale slowly as he pushes in on the top points. Then take another, and exhale as he pushes the ones below those. And so on.

I had codeine + paracetamol in early labour and intravenous paracetamol later on. I managed all right, only had gas and air in the last 5-10 mins, then they had me give it up before the pushing stage started

I had an induction and epidural first time round, I really felt I couldn't cop with it.

Second time round i was upright in a pool and it was all so much more manageable. I just had DH pouring water on my back in the cx, really helped take the edge off, as did being able to rock back and forth draped over the side of the pool.

I'm currently 6 days on from what ended up being a pretty dramatic birth mainly because I tried to be a super hero

I got to 5cm at home with no pain relief and made it to 9cm with gas and air. Why didn't I go with my gut and ask for an epidural straight away?! Got given a shot of pethadine- big mistake! Made me tired and totally immobile due to being out of it. Ended up with what would've been a quick(ish!) first birth but got too tired to push and baby got stuck. 3 hours of unsuccessful pushing later I was in theatre pushing unsuccessfully whilst the anaesthetist tried for nearly an hour to get a spinal in for forceps! All good in the end, resulted in a strangely calm snd pleasant birth. Totally worth it as I currently have a squidgy baby lying on my chest.

My advice... Epidural'from early on!! Wish I could have one now to make the episiotomy pain bugger off!!

Good luck!!

Emetophobic here - I had no pain relief for my second birth because I was so terrified of feeling/being sick. It was a reasonably straightforward birth but (of course) hurt like buggery. My advice would be to find out about as much as you can about the physiological processes - what is actually happening to your body and how you can help it along. I didn't actually hypnobirth but used some of the deep breathing techniques. A supportive birth partner is helpful, and I think I was lucky with the midwives I had.

I can tell you that paracetamol does f all when in labour..... I had a very quick labour of 1 hours 42 mins and thought paracetamol would take the edge off. It didn't. It was a planned home birth though so couldn't have much more and the gas and air arrived too late with the 2nd midwife.

I don't see any point whatsoever in taking paracetamol. It can actually inhibit the natural process of labour.
undercovermidwife.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/paracetamol-and-labour.html