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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Opinions on pethidine? Worth having?

52 replies

jammydodgie · 17/05/2023 12:37

Due DC2 next month and would like some kind of pain relief this time. Last time I was sent home at 2cm dilated, got back at 8cm and was told I could only have gas and air at that point, which I found I just couldn't get on with doing!

Thoughts/experiences on pethidine? X

OP posts:

tsmainsqueeze · 17/05/2023 20:36

I had it with 2nd labour did nothing at all to help other than a weird hallucination hours later after giving birth.

skysky69 · 17/05/2023 20:38

It made me feel very sick and when my daughter made her appearance she wouldn't latch on to feed. I'm not sure I'd have it again 👍

thistimelastweek · 17/05/2023 20:40

Pethidine is seriously good shit.

Was so disappointed when second baby came too fast for the pethidine dose.

AtomHeartMotherOfGod · 17/05/2023 20:44

I wouldn't have it late on in the labour but I loved mine; it basically made me drowsy while I was dilating (while I found the worse stage for pain - contractions made me projectile vomit) and then I woke up really far gone and ready to go.

Dollmeup · 17/05/2023 20:48

I didn't find it that great, it made me feel sick. I actually found the gas and air better. I think they gave me morphine after that which worked for a while. My baby got stuck though and I had a difficult labour and delivery, if it had progressed normally the pethidine might have been enough.

atcrossroad · 17/05/2023 20:52

I wouldn't get it again. It made me totally lose control.

lossmum · 17/05/2023 20:52

Pethidine helped me through an unbearable rapidly induced labour and I can vouch for it from a pain perspective. I unfortunately wasn't giving birth to a live baby so I can't speak on whether it affected them. (I knew they weren't alive, it wasn't related to the pethidine)

Seeyounextweek · 17/05/2023 20:52

I wouldn’t recommend pethidine. I was completely absent, strange vivid dream/ hallucinations and hardly remembered my first child’s birth, he was affected too and stayed in hospital for ten days after .

WandaWonder · 17/05/2023 20:55

I had it and it did nothing, the epidural was amazing though

OneMoreCookieMonster · 17/05/2023 20:56

I fucking loved it. I was struggling to dilate went from 3.5 cm to 9 cm in around 50 mins after having half a dose. You can ask for a small amount rather than full. I was worried about side effects but didn't have any and neither did baby. Gas and air didn't touch the sides and gave me to worst dry mouth and breath imaginable

FrenchTrellis · 17/05/2023 20:59

I had it in early labour with my first. It really helped me to relax into the contractions, rather than tensing and fighting it. I used gas and air after that which didn't touch the sides, but did help me to concentrate on my breathing.

I wouldn't have it in established labour, especially for second or subsequent babies, where labour is likely to be shorter. The risk of it affecting baby would be higher. Babies are meant to stay in and be observed if they are given pethidine within 2 (or possibly 4) hours of birth, but unsure if this is a local policy or national guidelines.

ViscountessBridgerton · 17/05/2023 21:14

I loved it; I was having intense contractions as induced on drip. Had pethidine and basically fell asleep for 40 minutes, woke up feeling like I needed to push (depsite being only 4cm when I fell asleep) and DS shot out.

Hafannedd123 · 17/05/2023 21:16

Hated it. Would never have it again. Made the pain go but made me so so so out of it to the point i consented to stuff that i never would of otherwise. Made me so sleepy i barely could converse 😳

847arc · 17/05/2023 21:16

Made me vomit and did nothing whatsoever for the pain

Bluemuf · 17/05/2023 21:18

I had it for my first and refused it for my second

I didn't find it helped with the pain but it did seem to affect baby who slept (and therefore didn't feed) for the first 48 hours

queenofthebongo · 17/05/2023 21:21

Hated it. Made me really sick. Had it before when not in labour and thought it was amazing though.

Batalax · 17/05/2023 21:25

I was crying tears of pain. Had the pethedine, and all of a sudden the pain was manageable again.
Worked wonderfully for me.

fyn · 17/05/2023 21:25

I had diamorphine with DD1 and it was dreadful, out of control feeling and she needed help breathing when she was born as they gave it to me and hour before she was born.

Had an epidural with DD2 and a lovely birth, wish I’d done it with DD1. It started to wear off for the pushing stage but that worked pretty well because I could feel the contractions.

ChickpeaPie · 17/05/2023 21:26

Would strongly recommend remifentanyl
instead. Same family as pethidine, but it’s patient controlled via an IV cannula- you have a button to deliver yourself a dose as and when you want it. If you don’t like it, don’t press the button. Whereas with pethidine, once it’s in it’s in. Plus, you can have it at any stage of labour so it’s a great choice for second labours, where you may be too late for epidural/pethidine

2bazookas · 17/05/2023 21:27

Pethidine makes me vomit.

itsmellslikepopcarn · 17/05/2023 21:27

Would not recommend. Knocked me out for a good hour, when I came back round I was out of it, no idea what was going on + I could barely open my eyes!

Cindy1802 · 17/05/2023 21:34

I had it during a 52 hour back to back labour (that obviously includes early labour). I was about 30 hours in and in a lot of pain when I went to MAC - and I was only 1 cm dilated. I managed to wait another 12hours and I was 4cm, and I was beyond able to deal with the pain in my spine, and I have a high pain threshold! I really didn't want an epidural, so opted for the pethidine. It saved my life. It did knock me out, but it took the extreme back pain away and allowed me to sleep between contractions (i hadnt slept since labour started almost 2 days prior). It was pretty well timed for me, as I was starting to come round 7-8 hours later when I was finally almost at 10cm, and baby had turned so I was dealing with normal contraction pain and it was no longer crippling my back. I was back in the room and able to remember the delivery, which was really calm and I enjoyed it.

However I will say that my son was born sleepy and didn't feed so we were kept in until he did. There are links to pethidine affecting baby's feeding immediately after birth. It's really hard cos in once sense I don't regret it, I couldn't have dealt with that back pain for another 8 hours... but if we ever have another, I will only have it if I absolutely need to. Still wouldn't want an epidural though either...

PinkButtercups · 17/05/2023 21:37

I had pethidine with DS and it made me sick but I kept falling asleep when I wasn't having a contraction. Made me quite drowsy but it was nice to be able to rest between contractions.

Didn't get offered it with my twins as they placed an epidural incase I had to go down for a caesarean. Well, that epidural didn't work at all and I delivered my twins on gas and air. I love gas and air 🤣.

Lougle · 17/05/2023 21:40

It was awful for me. I couldn't use my legs. Felt like I was in a tunnel and everything everyone said echoed about 12 times. Drifting in and out of consciousness. I'm very opiate naive though and medication of any sort has quite a strong effect on me.

DrunkInTennessee · 17/05/2023 21:45

My friend loved it and said it really helped. I didn’t notice any difference in the pain but it did make me sick.

I found gas and air better and the epidural I had with my first was the best thing ever.

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