Please can you talk me through the drug options for pain relief (not epidural though)?

[PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt]

I know you cna have a pethidine jab - how do you feel on it and for how long and are there any other jabs you can have?

Don't have meptid (the pethdine replacemnet / updated thingy): utterly bloody useless!!!!!

meptid made me very sick. You can have morphine in some places, not all though

I found gas and air to be bloody fantastic IF USED PROPERLY

Big gulps down to the bottom of your lungs, hold for a beat and exhale. Think spliff

pethadine was really odd, could still sort of feel pain but was really spaced out, i had a really quick birth so only had one lot, felt fine after the birth.

pethidine will take the edge off the ctx but not rid them completely. Too close to birth and it can make beby sleepy and not interested in feeding.
Can also make you a bit woozy

baby even!!

I heart epidurals.

I think an epidural is the only thing that will take labour pain away completely.

All other options will only alter our perception of the pain, e.g. make you more relaxed like pethidine or they take the edge off the pain like gas, tens and air and water. In most European countries they don't even offer gas and air as it seen as ineffective. ...however, I think it won't hurt to try it anyway if it's available.

Oh dear God i would have married the man who gave me my epidural. He was the anesthatist, which was useful, har-de-har! I didn't want an epidural, but once the pain started, i would have killed someione for it! I think i told the epidural man i thought he was lovely and told him if he was this good at solving problems he could live with us til teh baby was 18! I was absolutely out of my mind on g&a though, absolutely refused to let go of it!

I had some tablets with DS - don't recall what they were but I threw them straight up

I had pethidine with DS - I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but it did allow me to sleep for a short time

With DD the hosp only offered G&A and epidural so I stuck to the G&A

Other than paracetamol, pethedine is usually pretty much the only drug option if you don't want an epidural. Pethidine just made me horribly distant and detached. Had to have an emergency section and worst part was seeing the terror on DH's face and not being able to reassure him

So what's the difference between diamorphine and pethidine?

For #1 I had nothing at all and was fine but for this second time around I may need something - I guess it depends how it goes.

I don't think I could cope with trying to co-ordinate using G&A - I remember thinking at the time that it would be yet another thing to think about and it would annoy me. I was using all my concentration and there wasn't any room for anything else in my head!

I don't know many women who liked pethidine.

I found it horrible, it didn't stop the pain but made me feel really druggy, the room started spinning and I had to get to the bed quickly so I wouldn't fall on the floor.

I had pethidine with DD1 and I have very little memory of the labour - just odd bits and peices. Afterwards the labour I talked to my MW about it and she told me it was a common side effect of pathidine - gfeeling very spaced out and not able to recall instructions or concentrate (wish they had told me beforehand ). Oh yes, and it didn't hlep with my pain at all, just made me feel very distant and out of control.

I avoided it with DD2 but had all the other forms of pain relief I had had previously and was fine. Remember everything . Both labours were very comparable in everything other than the pethidine. I would never have it again tbh.

That said, some people swear by it.

I loved my epidurals though - absolutely wonderful in every way!

Gas and air is great! It alters your perception of what's happening, so although you still feel the pain, you are able to cope with it better, and it takes the edge off. You have to really gulp it down though - ladylike puffs on the tube won't do anything!! TBH I found breathing techniques probably the best thing - learning to breathe into every contraction and 'go with the flow' - i know that sounds a bit fluffy but it's the only way to describe it. Keeping mobile is also a great help - I found standing supported by dh and swaying my hips helped me through contractions. An epidural is the only way of blocking pain - as far as i know all the other options work by changing your perception of the pain rather than stopping it - but many women don't want a totally medicalised birth, and most women manage without an epi.

Pethidine worked well for me. Don't remember much though...think I slept for a while on it. Felt very loved up and told dh how much I loved him...probably not what he was expecting from me in labour!

Had g+a later in the labour and it wasn't even touching the pain - but by this point I was having constant contractions (was induced).

Like others have said - epidural was outstanding!

dh's back rub did actually help me with the pain. The water pool didn't help with the pain at all.

Has anyone mentioned a tens machine? I didn't use one because I wanted a birthing pool, but they are supposed to be good.

Had diamorphine with DS - made me very sleepy and ended up with a long "pushing" stage - about 2 hours and a forceps delivery due to DS's heart rate falling. I was not good at pushing at all (probably because I was asleep).

Ended up with an epidural after he was born due to ocmplicated stitching up in theatre afterwards, so had affects of epidural with none of the pain relief in labour. Left my legs very very worn out.

With DD, got to a similar stage (TENS machine, then gas and air) of feeling incapbable of coping with the pain. Offered diamorphine. Asked if it would make me sleepy like ;last time and increase the time when I was fully dilated and yet too sleepy to push. Told I wouldn't feel like that. It was Not True - had similar 2 hour lack of pushing experience. However this time a scary doctor came in, told me I had to push or my baby would need to be helped out. Somehow got an urge from somewhere and out she came (which surprised both the midwives, student doctor and DH ).

So for me I found diamorphine cut down on pain but made me incapable of doing serious pushing.

Diamorphine made me v sick as well . I am such a great advert for it .