Sickness in labour - any way to avoid it

[needahand]

Hi Mners

I was sick during my labour with DD and was wondering whether any of you would have any tips to avoid being sick or minimise sickness next time round

Thanks to all for your posts, really appreciate it.

Meeble what is IM prochlorprezarine (can't even spell that!) is this something they give you in hospital

Miaou I didn't have any pain relief when I was sick. The pain relief only came later on

T2M what you are saying is interesting. When I finally stopped being sick (2 hours after my epidural) everything started to slow down and I had to be given syntonion (or whaterver it is called)...Definitely food for thoughts

Absolutely Needahand keep things natural and simple although I know that even epi's have there place don't get me wrong.

Left to nature the 'sicky' feeling will pass and your recovery of the birth of your special baby is also quicker.

From my experience 6cm seem to be when the hormones have a surge to keep the momentum of contxs going. So when you get that feeling 'thank' your body for doing such a wonderful job.

Sending lovely positive vibes your way

I was violently ill with dc 1 until given some drug by midwife no idea what - but found that inhaling peppermint oil on a flannel staved off vomiting for dcs 2 and 3! Was sick once with dc 2 until started inhaling the peppermint! Then it stopped.

prochlorperazine (otherwise known as stemitil) is an antiemetic drug. I had it as an intramuscular (IM) injection - I had previously been taking it as a tablet since I had hyperemesis throughout the pregnancy. I was having a rotten, induced labour and I couldn't handle vomiting anymore.

Wasnt sick during labour, got to fully dilated but ds was still stuck after an 1 hr of pushing so had epi. Felt sick with this though but wasnt. Felt really sick after labour but still wasnt actually sick. Did suck alot of mints though.

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I absolutely hate being sick, whenever I feel ill I'm such a panic arse with it, dh is stood with water and sponges at the bathroom door if I ever get so much as a tummy twinge. I was really worried about this in labour and just as dd was crowning I thought I was going to throw up I turned to the student doctor who was holding my hand and informed her of this she said "no you're not, you're fine" and the feeling passed immediatley!!
You need her! She was brilliant in every way

I've been sick in all 3 labours - always just before the really strong contractions kick-in. It is my guide to get knickers off.

It is just the once though and very immediate, I'm not repeatedly sick and I don't feel queasy for a long time.

No back-to-back births here btw.

And meant to add, no advice to add but pruners & belgianbun know what their talking about so might be worth discussing emetics with your midwife. 17 hours of sickness is too long.

there are definitely homeopathic remedies which would help but also know that self-prescribing is not a good idea......so you might want to go see someone first. I was violently sick after epidural with DS1. However, also felt sick in labour with DS2 who was a drug-free homebirth and (having trained as aromatherapist in between babies), I put a drop of ginger essential oil (zingiber officinalis) onto a tissue and inhaled deeply whenever I felt sick. Worked a treat. Other essential oils to consider would be peppermint (already mentioned) or lemon. Make sure you use just one drop at a time though - your sense of smell during pregnancy is so heightened that any more may make you feel worse.

How about those seasickness bands for your wrists? Could be worth a try although they don't sound like much of a match for labour sickness! I've also heard it helps in moving the baby down as it is the same muscles (from our antenatal classes).
Can I just check that vomiting in labour is not vomiting due to intense pain? I assume it is a general side effect of labour but will be kacking myself if it is from the pain as that = serious pain!