Nervous about Oramorph when looking after baby

[Meeko505]

This might sound like I'm overthinking, but I'm having an ELCS on Friday and I'm nervous about taking Oramorph - which I'd like to if I feel I need to especially if it means I get more sleep - particularly once my partner has to leave for the night. I've heard it makes you kind of sleepy and relaxed, and I guess I'm just worried that I'll be more likely to fall asleep while feeding or holding the baby, or wake up disoriented when the baby wakes in the night etc. It's my third baby but I've never had a CS before so feel a bit out of my depth...

Oramorph is great for a sharp pain. It sorts it for the short term but soon wears off in my experience. Better to stagger paracetamol and ibuprofen, or co codamol and ibuprofen in my experience

I wasn't given oramorph after my ELCS, I had diclofenac which is like a stronger ibuprofen, I found it excellent and didn't impair me at all.

I had it after 1 of mine. Tbh I didn’t need it for the pain because the diclofenac + paracetamol is a good combo but I was sick (ate dinner too quickly because I was starving but when you’ve had your insides rearranged that’s really not a good idea) right after taking one of them and I couldn’t take it again so had oramorph instead. I don’t recall any side effects from it. I went to sleep and still woke to the alarm I’d set 4 hours later for the next feed, got up and did the bottle and nappy myself. All fine.

Have you had a c-section? I went into mine with that attitude and it was silly of me! There is no prize for being a martyr to the pain.

I was brought a dose of oramorph when I arrived on the ward. Think it must have been standard as I didn’t ask for any pain relief. I didn’t want to take it as I was scared it would cause constipation but the midwife said one dose wouldn’t hurt. I felt I needed more pain relief about 8 hours later so I had another dose. Then I had dihydrocodeine a couple of times and took a box home with me, and had one a day for 5 days.

I didn’t get any adverse effects from the oramorph or the dihydrocodeine. I wish they’d made me sleepy so maybe I could have actually gone to sleep on the ward! I didn’t really notice either did anything apart from pain relief for me, so no nice buzz or anything!

And I needn’t have worried on the constipation front… the antibiotics in the c-section gave me the opposite issue 48 hours after the c-section!

If I had another, I’d be taking all the pain relief on offer.

I was given oramorph by the overnight midwife after my ELCS. I didn't feel sleepy at all, well I was absolutely exhausted from having surgery / PPH / a newborn who wanted to be fed and cuddled all night!

I had oramorph for a day or so after my emcs for DC1 but it made me feel nauseous and I didn't like it. I only had paracetamol and ibuprofen after my elcs for DC2.

I had IV paracetamol which seemed much better than the tablets

I had it post c section and was fine, I can't take anything with codeine in so had a fight to be sent home with it as our trust don't like to give you it to go home with as it's addictive.

It didn’t affect me at all.

I used oromorph for a week after c section. It's absolutely incredible!! Do not suffer for the sake of it. It's gold standard for painkiller for breastfeeding and is actually a lactation promoter.

I was high as a kite 😂

But your not doing much moving anyway so no issue with holding babe and taking it.

Your going to be getting out of bed and sitting on a sofa and that's it for the first week or so.

Get your partner to ferry the babe about for you. Which you will have no choice about imo. It's going to be hard enough to get your body from a to b let alone the babe.

Drinking tea or taking a shower on oromorph is particularly nice. Anything warm is extra warm and quite exciting 😂

It made me too woozy after my CS so I asked to come off it and had paracetamol and ibuprofen instead. I wasn't in too much discomfort. The key is to keep taking the painkillers even if you think you're fine because it's harder to get on top of pain than to keep it at bay.

I only had oramorph whilst in hospital - not once at home.

I was offered it but didn't need it . I used diacodeine ( I think that's what it was ! ) and was sent home with a box too .
Honestly the pain of c- section isn't too bad , it's when the trapped wind starts that I found an issue

Sorry posted too soon.

Oramorph plus codiene and diclofenic in hospital. I needed the lot.

But there were mws around to help if it knocked me out.

On discharge I needed co-codamol and diclofenic for several weeks.

I know some people manage on 2 paracetamol but I wasn't one of them. It was fecking agony for many weeks.

IV paracetamol is amazing. It’s nothing like swallowing a tablet. It was enough for me.

You might not need it…I was adamant that I want it before my c section because I’m a wimp (I even started a thread on here about it) but I wasn’t in any pain on paracetamol, ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine - had to ask for that one. You could start with these and see how it goes.

I haven't had a section but my hospital uses a few other drugs as standard pain relief and I wonder if you're not keen on oramorph whether you could ask them if they have any different ones? My most recent vaginal birth with a second degree tear, I was in hospital about three days (due to concerns with my baby). I was offered oral paracetamol and dihydrocodeine, and diclofenac suppositories throughout and I took all of them pretty regularly.