Why did they stop providing pain killers?

[ajja2021]

I'm just wondering if anyone has any insight on this, I had a ELCS in 2019. Relatively straight forward, larger incision due to larger baby and some staples instead of dissolvable due to the size of the wound.

I had pain relief on the ward and was discharged within 24 hours and told to buy Paracetamol and ibuprofen, I was refused codeine because I was breastfeeding.

This led to me being in agony, I really struggled and I genuinely believe this impacted hugely on my initial bond with DS and my breastfeeding experience. I was horrendously depressed and it was just a horrible time.

I had another ELCS less than 22 months later, I was given plenty of pain relief on the ward and was given various pain relief to take home (paracetamol, naproxen, dihydracodeine, diclafenic) and I was breastfeeding this time too.

I asked the nurse, she said the trust decided to not give any pain relief for elective section patients for a year and she didn't know why.

I know some women are great and can be up and doing the school run within days, but first time around I genuinely couldn't move for being in unbearable agony. I also didn't want to be high as a kite in my first few days of
Motherhood but the painkillers made such a difference, particularly in the first 36 hours.

I had such a positive experience second time around and I can't understand why the trust would stop giving pain relief? I've had dental surgery and been given more pain relief than after my first csection.

Has anyone been through similar?

Sounds like poor medical care. Decided to not give pain relief for elective section patients? This would never happen in Sweden as any patient no matter if it is elective c section or not would be entitled to sufficient pain management.

I don’t understand why they would decide this either. It’s very strange. And for only elective sections? Was this some sort of experiment? If so it was cruel and at the expense of women.

Seems like someone wanted to punish women who choose a c section. This is actually not good care. You manage the patients pain. If the patient is saying that they are in very bad pain then there is no reason why you don’t make the patient comfortable.

I'm in the UK, North West specifically and I've googled searched and can't find any change to NICE guidelines or anything that stated why.

It's really bothering me because I've had such a positive experience this time it makes me so sad how my first experience was in contrast

That’s some kind of special NHS cost cutting torture. I had a straightforward vaginal birth with epidural and on postnatal ward I was charted for oxycodone robe taken as requested by me. I gave birth in Australia though.
Sorry you were treated like that. Would it be cathartic to write to the trust and relay your experience to them?

Hi, I wasn’t given pain relief after my c section either - that was in 2014. I’m in the southeast. They did give me some paracetamol to go home with but the day after the surgery I was on the ward all day without any pain relief and it was horrendous. So you have my sympathies. Friends who’d previously had sections had had morphine pumps which is what I was expecting!

It’ll be cost cutting.

They don’t provide “standard” medication for any type of birth at my hospital, or formula, or baby clothing even on a loan basis, according to the signs in my maternity unit.

I have a friend who had her last baby five years ago at the same hospital and was told she didn’t need to worry about any of those things (obviously clothing only if baby is very small/big and nothing fits, rather than a free outfit).

codeine is contraindicated for breastfeeding mothers as it can metabolite into forms of opioids that can be harmful to the baby.
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/codeine/

but yabu, adequate pain relief after surgery should be a priority.

yanbu

I also experience this in the mid 2000's. I had a EMCS at one hospital and on day two was refused any pain relief other than paracetamol. My LO had a heart defect and we were both transferred to another hospital on the evening of day 2, I was in agony and the second hospital couldn't believe that I had been refused proper pain relief, the difference when they prescribed it was immense.

Aside I have a real issue with the way women are treated after child birth.

I had an EMCS in a hospital in one trust but was under the midwifery team for another trust, the community midwife who came to visit after I got out of hospital was surprised to find out I'd been given oral morphine as the trust she was with don't give it. I didn't need to use it a lot but it will definitely influence my decision of which hospital to have future children because I don't think I would have managed the pain without it.

I had my c section in 2020 and wasn’t given any stronger pain relief either

I was really shocked how were expected to soldier on, when had this been another type of surgery we probably would've been given strong pain relief

What the actual fuck?? Does this actually happen?? 😳

What the hell?? That just seems barbaric. So sorry you had to experience that! Maybe contact PALS for advice, that's despicable IMO

I was discharged with diclofenac and paracetamol. If you wanted stronger painkillers then you had to stay in, and there were some women on the ward who were staying in as they needed morphine or similar. Luckily I found the paracetamol and diclofenac was enough - I did get a bit blase about taking them at one point as I thought they probably weren't doing much given they aren't strong painkillers, but then I realised that they most definitely were and not to skip a dose!

I would like to think that if I had been struggling with pain, that would have been taken seriously. Sounds rotten, OP.

I had an EMCS in 2012 and once the epidural wore off the only pain relief I got was when I was woken at 2am to be given 2 paracetamol. In the morning I was asked if I wanted tea and when I said yes they said well get up and get it.

It was a horrible experience on a horrible ward with horrible staff. I went home as soon as I could stand up properly, which was 16 hours after dd's birth.

I haven’t had a c section but I’ve always said it amazes me how women are expected to have major surgery, minimal help and pain relief and then handed a brand new baby and sent on their merry way.
After what other surgery would this be acceptable. It’s disgraceful.

I think it depends on the trust. I've had a 3b tear and an epi, sent home with no pain relief on the Sunday before a bank holiday Monday. Had very little in at home and the next day had to walk 20 mins to the nearest shop to get painkillers. Passed out from pain on the way home. Thank goodness for kind people looking after me on the street!

I thought they were no longer prescribing pain relief because of the opioid crisis. It's happening all over the States and Canada. Pain patients have been furious, as drug addicts are being given all the drugs they require while pain patients are being cut off so that they don't become addicts? I don't know enough about it though, so I could be wrong.

Sorry not what you were asking but just to concur with other posters that the treatment of women after birth is horrendous, whichever exit consideration of the circumstances needs to be given and pain relief supplied if needed.

Possibly it was due to there being a shortage of dihydrocodeine? In our trust it’s reserved for breastfeeding mothers only, else we wouldn’t have enough.

It just baffles me, I genuinely think it lead to a series of events that lead to me being so depressed.

I was so much more mobile with pain killers, I didn't need them for long but they helped improve my recovery massively

I had an emergency c section summer 2019 and also wasn’t given any pain relief when discharged- it was actually difficult to get any on the ward too as they kept forgetting and expecting me to know when I’d had what (I was on so many different medication schedules in the end I drew up my own chart). When I saw an anaesthetist for a different surgery they were v surprised, but a midwife I know said it was normal and lots of women took less than I had. It’s huge surgery and should be treated as such but isn’t.

Sorry just to add- also north west, I’d say maybe the same place but at this one it seems to be standard practice rather than a temporary thing!

With my second I was refused pain relief so I could breastfeed. I had been in hospital for five days after a difficult birth and epistomy. I had my first overseas and completely different experience.

The NHS tea needs to provide better patient care imo - we are expected to be grateful even for awful care.

I had an EMCS following an ECV and induction gone wrong- after the spinal wore off I was only given paracetamol. I ended up in a complete state 12 hours later when I was told to get out of bed for the first time to go to the bathroom. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. I was given one shot of liquid morphine and then only Paracetamol again from then on. They tried to discharge me 24 hours post section with no medicine. It was agony- I’m very jealous of anyone who received proper pain relief.