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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Talk to me about pain relief

33 replies

chops12 · 04/12/2017 20:30

So DD1 was a v straightforward pregnancy and was due to give birth in a midwife led ward. Unfortunately she did not want to come out and had to be induced on labour ward. I ended up having an epidural and forceps and episiotomy, and also haemorrhaged, and couldn't move for about 24 hours after the birth.

I understand that everyone's pain threshold is different and every birth is different but I know how much it bloody hurts lol and an epidural was a lifesaver, but I'm worried that that is what could have contributed to the need of forceps.

So what other options of pain relief is there and how effective is it? I tried gas and air and that didn't do anything for me. I know there's something called pethidine? And possibly another I can't think of the name?
Any help would be much appreciated

OP posts:

Bananarama12 · 04/12/2017 21:16

I had Diamorphine and it sent me off my rocker. I had a 10 hour labour in total with 3 hours pushing and can only remember bits of it. So if you like to feel in control I wouldn't recommend it (though I rather liked it)

LRL2017 · 04/12/2017 21:21

I just had paracetamol and gas and air. I didn't realise how active my labour was and was 6 cm before I realised then went to 10 in ten mins so was just too late. I had the vontoose (or however you spell it!). I can't say I felt really in control as the gas and air made me feel like I was on another planet! I had planned on diamorphine as had similar things in the past for back problems
And been ok with it.

Cracklesfire · 04/12/2017 21:25

I was all set for gas and air or diamorphine or

Cracklesfire · 04/12/2017 21:26

Posted too soon...

Or remifentanyl

Cracklesfire · 04/12/2017 21:28

Stupid phone

I ended up not having anything as I was horribly sick as soon as labour kicked in and I felt like they would all make me feel worse. But worth discussing the pros & cons of each with your midwife when you're writing your birth plan?

Original poster

chops12 · 04/12/2017 23:14

Thanks for the replies, I will bring these drugs up to the midwife when we meet

OP posts:

user1471495191 · 04/12/2017 23:17

Meptid is an alternative to pethedine which is supposed to have less impact on your control etc

user1471495191 · 04/12/2017 23:19

Meant to say I had gas and air plus meptid with my first, and just gas and air with my second (strong painkillers straight afterwards as - in my ever so understated words - 'it is stinging a little' 😂)

RedPandaMama · 04/12/2017 23:29

I had diamorphine and it was a blessing. Had been in labour over 24 hours and still only at 4cm with a back to back baby so needed some help. Made me feel a bit giddy and then I fell asleep for 2 hours only waking up for severe contractions. After it wore off I was sick three or four times but it was worth it for a bit of relief.

3 hours later at 8cm had an epidural but it didn't work, could still feel everything.

Tigerpig · 05/12/2017 18:36

I was induced with DD - had the drip. Had a choice of remifentanyl or epidural due the drip being required. I went for remifentanyl because it has a short half life (think that’s the terminology?) and it is self controlled - ie. you have a button which you can press every time you need a dose.

The benefit of it over epidural (my opinion only!) is you can still feel contractions so can push etc when you need to. The midwife actually took it away during pushing so I could focus on that. To be fair I had a back to back nearly 9lb 12oz baby to get out, so definitely needed to concentrate!

The cons vs epidural is that you can still feel pain, you are just high as a kite so don’t really care

Potteryprincess30 · 07/12/2017 12:47

Gas and air did nothing for me so had a shot of pethadine...it was amazing! I absolutely loved it, I basically slept when I was on it for a couple of hours which gave me the energy and respite I needed to continue. Had a fabulous birth and no tearing, assistance or complications all in a midwife led center.

Pethadine is definitely what I will be having again this time round and as you are only aloud it before you actually start pushing ect I did not feel it effected my experience of the birth at all, just killed a few hours in the middle to chill out basically. It's fabulous

KatharinaRosalie · 07/12/2017 12:51

Moving epidural. Amazing. I had full mobility, walked around the entire time and gave birth standing up. Felt the pressure just fine, but was in no pain whatsoever. Magical. No interventions needed.

SottoVoc3 · 07/12/2017 12:59

I had an epidural with my first. I was terrified of the unknown and it was a relief from the contractions (tho I couldn’t feel how to push when the time came). No complications, no need for ventouse or anything.
With my second, much quicker labour and no pain relief. He was born about half an hour after arriving at hospital. Having given birth before, the fear of the unknown had gone.

FartnissEverbeans · 07/12/2017 13:21

Pethidine did not lessen the pain for me one bit. I just kept falling asleep between contractions - for about thirty seconds before the next one started. It's basically a sedative.

Also DS was really sleepy when he came out, which apparently could be due to the pethidine. If you want to bf it might delay it a bit.

Opheliasgoldenwine · 07/12/2017 14:01

I had gas and air and I loved it. It did make me sick as I was drinking lucozade as well but I didn't care, it was such a good pain relief. Not allowed it when pushing though

Opheliasgoldenwine · 07/12/2017 14:01

Oh and I tried an epidural but it didn't work

Babbitywabbit · 11/12/2017 18:45

Gas and air rocks! They took it off me for second stage though, so did the pushing and crowning with nothing. I couldn’t recommend gas and air highly enough though as it got me through hours and hours of first stage without me feeling out of it at all. Great think about it is, you breathe it in, it takes the edge off the pain, and when you breathe it out, it disappears from your body completely. So no worries about side effects on baby, or slowing labour down and leading to interventions.

clarabellski · 12/12/2017 16:07

I didn't have pethidine when I gave birth (by the time I asked for something stronger than the gas and air it was too late as needed to start pushing) but I subsequently had oromorph when I got admitted to hospital with gallstones and it was lovely. I can see why folk get addicted to opium products!

I've heard from some folk that pethidine made them feel quite sick and/or out of control which you might not want if you're trying to focus on pushing etc.

TheIntrovertedMum · 12/12/2017 17:16

If you have back labour I would highly recommend a TENs machine for early labour! My waters broke at 12.30am and I had pretty bad back labour, had a tens machine in until around 3am when I finally took some diamorphine (so I could sleep, I wasn't I'm established labour and was in the hospital being induced) I woke up around 6.30 and turned the tens machine on again and it seen me through til around 5pm (I was in established labour for about an hour at this stage) with no other pain relief!

tootsieglitterballs · 13/12/2017 22:24

First DS I had diamorphine and was on another planet with it... wouldn’t recommend it. I was induced though, had a bad experience and ended in an EMCS.

Second DS a couple of weeks ago, totally different experience, gas and air only for a VBAC - was amazing!

BrawneLamia · 13/12/2017 22:33

You could try a water birth, it's surprisingly effective. I had one with Dc2 and the difference when I got out of the water was unbelievable. I had just a bit of gas and air for pushing. The crowning hurt, but it was nothing compared to the recovery from a forceps delivery with Dc1.

TheIntrovertedMum · 13/12/2017 22:41

@tootsieglitterballs was your first birth traumatic for you? I was induced and ended up with emcs and was quite traumatised by it, ttc again atm and I have no intention of having a VBAC. Was it completely different the second time around? X

sycamore54321 · 14/12/2017 03:59

Epidural is the only effective technique for removing your pain. Other things like gas, pethidine, water etc at best will only dampen or distract you or help you cope better with pain, they won't remove it.

Epidural share associated with an increase in assisted deliveries. However it is not always clear which is cause and which is effect. Babies that need instrumental delivery are often positioned in a less-than-ideal way. So it is possible that the same problems of positioning that mean the baby needs instrumental delivery also mean a longer and more painful labour and so the mothers are more likely to request epidurals.

For what it's worth, I had induction, epidural, episiotomy and ventouse with my first baby (cord wrapped tightly around his neck preventing his proper descent). For my second, induction, epidural and I delivered him in the third contraction after I started pushing, less than ten minutes second stage. Both experiences entirely pain free.

Miamiapods · 14/12/2017 04:10

Been there

Miamiapods · 14/12/2017 04:12

Sex

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