Hand Cannulas

[CartoBarto]

The last time I had a a hand cannula it was legitiately more painful than the actual emergency I was in the hospital for. I know cannulas are a normal part of giving birth in a hospital and was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with them? Online it says they aren't supposed to hurt but when I had one put in it was aching and burning the whole time.
Thank you for your replies!

I am massively needle phobic and I had to have 2 in labour.

I bought emla cream from boots with the plaster that goes on top for the birth.

They were really understanding and let me know with enough time for it to work when they wanted to put cannulas in

I had one for both (EMCS with first, needed stitches in theatre after second). Genuinely didn't notice them put them in either time.

I’m a retired anaesthetist - have inserted over 30,000 cannulae - and always used local anaesthetic for anything larger than a 20 gauge (wee pink one).
I was appalled to see midwives putting in massive 16 gauge (grey) ones with no anaesthetic, on the labour suite. No wonder several PPs said it hurt worse than their labours.

Bloody awful and would genuinely prefer birth again than the one I had in!
They decided I was dehydrated in labour so they were going to put one in. I can still remember the awful feeling and feeling everything liquid wise going into my hand. Didn’t know I could decline or could have it elsewhere, it was literally decided and stuck into me it seemed.
They mustn’t have put it in right either as it fell out mid labour 🤢

I had one for drip induction, it was fine until they needed to check my blood pressure every 15/30mins and kept doing it on the same arm. Absolute agony until the midwife covering lunch break noticed and kindly moved it. I'll definitely be more vocal this time round.

I've had it each time as induced. Hate them too! I just asked them to put it more towards my wrist where it's more fleshy. One time they wanted to put it in when I got there so that it was ready for later. I refused and said they could put it in when they needed to but not in preparation!

My hands swell really easily, and one trigger is cannulas as they found with DS1, so I had it moved to my arm. DS 2 they put it in my wrist instead

I had one put in during my first labour as waters broke before labour started and they thought they might need to give me IV antibiotics but ended up not doing it. They did a bad job of putting a grey (big) one in my wrist, it wasn’t flushing properly and they didn’t use a great vein. Saying all of this, I didn’t give a shit! I barely noticed it as contractions were a huge distraction. Don’t sweat it.

Ask for a local anaesthetic first and then you won't feel a thing. I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a local anaesthetic as I had always been canularised without (when having them for other things).

In an NHS hospital it isn't usually required. Even if it's hospital policy, you can also refuse unless it's needed for some reason. It's your body and they won't turn you away in labour.

I had my second and third babies in Germany and it's routine here. I chose a hospital for DS2 that specifically didn't do it and then I tested positive for GBS so I needed one anyway! It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was expecting.

Third baby I decided to go for the hospital that had the gas and air even though they insisted on the cannula thing. They made a bloody mess of it and bruised up my whole hand, i made them do it in my arm instead and then they never even used it. Even when they needed to take blood the next day they used my other arm! I was so pissed off about it, and while I would definitely go though it again for the gas and air I do wish I'd been a bit more forceful in refusing it. They can easily do one if and when it's actually needed.

I'm really with you on this
I need a pink or a blue one

The others don't fit in my veins
I've got a scar where a midwife literally pulled my skin open insisting on putting one in

I've had so many blown veins in my hands and arms they are really difficult to get into

I had one tissue so badly once that I was given morphine and my arm was enormous and black for at least 4 weeks

Anaesthetists are the best at putting in cannulas, ask for the anaesthetist to come to you OP

I didnt have one and I was induced so there was more chance I'd need one. I don't see why they should need to do one for a routine Labour.

Awful things, fortunately not required routinely for a normal labour on the UK. I will never, never allow an attempt to site one in my hand again, but I would also never agree to have one without a real and immediate need for it.

I know this thread is a few months old but just wanted to add - if you have to have one, ask for local anaesthetic first, and if possible for an anaesthetist to do it if you're scared of the pain ...I wish someone had told me that because my experience was the worst pain of the entire labour.

The first attempt failed because 'I moved' (no I didn't. Even though I have medical anxiety and needle phobia I NEVER move when I have to have one because no way in hell am I doing this twice). It failed because the midwife doing it had only been a midwife 2 months, needed to be supervised, was nervous doing it and did it wrong. So I had to have it done AGAIN. Didn't appreciate being blamed for it tbh but whatever.

They then brought the anaesthetist in to do it and I had to literally BEG him to inject lidocaine (local anaesthetic) first because my hand was in agony and I could not go through that again, especially now with an already terribly sore and bruised stinging hand. Before that I never would've screamed at injections but this one was so bad I couldn't help it, think it's the loudest I've ever screamed in my life (so loud that a bunch of midwives came in 'to see the baby' thinking I'd given birth 😅🙈).

So just something to consider for anyone needing one who is worried.

That's very dramatic to scream so loudly midwives think you've given birth at a canula..

I had a cannula in both births. I was in that much pain I didn't even notice it go in.

I had one put in just before my EMCS. I was unlucky in that the anaesthetist’s assistant messed up the first attempt and blood spurted everywhere. The anaesthetist took over. However, I don’t remember it being painful TBH. There was too much else going on!

My cannula had a couple of floppy attachments (don’t know what they’re called), that annoyed me later on, as they got in the way. I asked for help with changing DD’s nappies until my cannula was removed. But not all cannulas have these.

I’ve just remembered I had a cannula put in just before another surgical procedure. It was nothing to worry about. I think it hurt slightly more than an injection into the upper arm, but less than a dental injection or a smear test.

Mine hurt terribly too, and I’m not at all needle phobic. I think I have small hand veins (is that even possible?! I don’t know, but that’s how I rationalised it). I had emergency sections both times, and while I wouldn’t say it was the worst bit, it was bad. Not helped by the second time the midwife misplacing it, or it moving, and my hand slowly inflating with the solution that was going in! Took a day to go down once they took it out. Wish I’d seen the anaesthetists advice above beforehand - I didn’t know they came in sizes and perhaps could have asked for a small one?

Why is a cannula a normal part of giving birth? Can't you just say you don't want one?

You can but it's in case you start haemorrhaging after birth because you can lose so much blood so fast that it's incredibly difficult to put a cannula in to give bloods and fluids etc. your choice but gotta make sure you're giving informed consent

I had a really bad birth with my second and my cannula was left in for days. I had been through so much during labour and afterwards but the cannula not being taken out was so uncomfortable and made me really miserable

I had a cannula in on the back of my hand. It was a precaution but I can't for the life of me remember why. I was having a drip through it but I just can't remember what for strangely enough. I do remember looking at it after I gave birth and I saw the blood had come out me and was going like the wrong way back up the cannula though, that made me a bit queezy when I spotted that but other than that it didn't both me in the slightest, I forgot I'd had it in all honesty til this thread

I have issues with cannulas. They can’t get them in for a start as I’ve got crap veins. Both of my labours I ended up neglected by midwives who were too busy trying to get cannulas in to notice my babies were crowning. My first husband said watching them trying to get them in over and over was the worst part of the labour 🙄I had hands like boxing gloves for weeks after my first and nerve damage after my second that took months to go away. Last time I had an operation a junior anaesthetist tried to get one in and got shouted at by the senior anaesthetist who then couldn’t get it in either 😆

I'm still concerned that this is a "thing". It certainly wasn't when I had my babies unless there was some specific medical need. Surely anything that adds to stress and discomfort during labour should be avoided?