Anyone had Syntocin drip but managed without epidural?

[wafflesmum]

I am being induced at 38 weeks for underlying medical reasons. Not particularly keen but not prepared to take risks with the baby. Just wondered if anyone has had the Syntocin drip but managed without an epidural? I have heard that contractions can be much more intense with the drip. I really don't want to be stuck on my back and unable to move. Thanks.

I wasn't induced, but a friend of mine was (at 41 weeks), and managed on gas and air. So it's possible, but I have also heard contractions more intense so more women opt for epidural.

I was induced at 41+4 with DS and managed pretty much on gas and air. Was given pethidine but as I was sick immediately the mw didn't think it had done much. The contractions were intense but as it was my first I didn't have anything to compare it to so that probably helped. TENS machine didn't help at all although not surprising when I understand that you're supposed to start using them in the early stages.
If you want to do it without epidural then I'd say give it a go - there certainly didn't seem to be any presumption on the part of the mw that I would need one just because I was on Syntocin.
Good luck

I had Syntocin to help the contractions on their way after my waters broke but nothing else happened (with DC1).

I can't say it was pleasant, in fact I have said it was pretty brutal! But as I can't have epidurals I managed with just gas and air and DS1 arrived without any other intervention.

I did, however, make sure I was on my knees leaning on the back of the bed (ie the 'wrong' way round) propped up with pillows to give DS1 as much help with gravity as I could (couldn't move for days afterwards, but I didn't care!).

For me it was mind over matter as I was determined not to have a CS as I'd have had to have a GA and I didn't want to miss out!

Meant to say - good luck!

I was induced twice at 37 weeks for medical reasons.

No1 - prostin, waters artificially ruptured, syntocin drip, epidural, episiotomy, forceps

No2 - prostin, waters artificially ruptured, gas and air, then I tore

Now this varies from person to person but both my induced labours were monstrously painful. Your labour will be started artificially with prostin and waters being broken even before the syntocin drip comes along. So you contractions will be artificial and possibly extremely painful anyway.

Personally, for me, delivery no 1 was "controlled" and I felt fine. It took me a little longer to recover as I had soreness in my back from the epi and my hand from the drip.

Delivery no 2 was out of control. I was in utter agony, vomiting etc. I had requested an epidural but they left it far to late (I had been begging for it for a long time). As it didn't have the epidural, it was horribly painful and if I had this birth over again, I would have the epidural.

I think you shouldn't discount the epidural out of hand. You should see how you go and put on your birth plan that you will have a epiduaral if you feel you need it. Don't put you don't want it as a friend of mine did that and then when she requested on in labour, it was denied because she had put that she didn't want it on her birth plan.

This is just my experience, but with no1, I didn't mind being stuck on my back. With no2, although I was "free" to do anything (ie no drips, no anything), I was in so much agony that I was unable to move anyway.

Keep an open mind - we all labour differently so you may be fine without the epi, but on the other hand, you may be desperate for it.

my friend managed (with gas and air) although asked them to turn the syntocin up slowly....

if possible have some acupunture in the week before as it can get your body ready for the birth and hopefully mean you'll need less medical induction.

I managed on gas&air and Pethidine with syntocin-induced DC3. It was by a long shot the hardest labour - felt like no let up at all between contractions and much more painful than with the other DCs. But once it got going it was at least relatively quick - they'd tried the pessary and the rupture of the waters etc and by the time I was hooked up to the drip I'd been in semi-labour for 36 hours.

I managed with just gas and air and a lovely midwife who let me sit on my gym ball. If I made big circles on the ball with my hips it didn't hurt as much. I think I was lucky though, had the gel at 9pm that gave cramps all night, then drip put in and painful sweep at 9am next day and DS was born at 1.30pm.

My waters broke by themselves sometime in the night

With dc1 I was induced on a drip managed without any pain relief (I through up the oral painkillers immediately though...), was "strapped" to the mashine and "not allowed" to change positions.
naivefirsttimeremoticon
Contractions were bearable, ended in a ventouse delivery though (also without any pain relief). Discovered afterwards that I did some sort of "hypnobirthing" by mistake...

I was induced about 36 hours into labour as contractions had become further and further apart. Didn't have an epidural till about 9 hours after the drip started in order to get episiotemy and forceps.

The contractions were definitely more intense with the Syntocin and you didn't have much let up between them.

In some ways I wish I had had the epidual as might have got a little sleep and then been able to push baby out myself, but as you will not be in labour when you get it I would say make sure you are well rested and see how you go without the epidural as you can always get one if the pain becomes unmanagable, assuming you don't dilate really quickly.

Good luck!

I did. Had gas and air but that had no effect. Had one dose of pethidine and I was still asking an hour later when it was going to actually start working. The drip was turned up rapidly at one point as ds was in distress and they wanted to get him out. Unbelievably painful and even now, nearly 6 years later I remember it like it was yesterday. Ds is an only for various reasons, not least of all the labour I endured to have him. I don't think it helped that I had to have iv antibiotics as well so was not able to move at all.

All I can say is you get through it somehow.

I remember the head midwife congratulating me on my 'natural' labour and I told her to f* off .

I was induced on a synt drip with DC3 because my waters had gone and then everything stopped. I did it all naturally with only g &a. ITs not that the ctx themselves are more painful, its that they ratchet up faster.

Kind of. I was induced at 41+5 (ds born 41+6). On the drip and had 2 epidurals neither of which had any effect whatsoever. Think Imight have had morphiene or something, not sure. No gas and air as tried it and passed out.

Labour wasnt too bad tbh.

yes I had the syntocin drip and the MW just let it go to the max in the end, because nothing was happening for a few hours - she kindly put me out of my misery! I would say the contractions were v intense but I've nothing to compare that to, so no idea what the contractions would have been like at that stage in my labour with a previous child or my next one (due in July). I think the labour progressed v fast and I did have a third degree tear.

I will say that I managed for 18 hours on Gas and Air alone, and had DS after all that without an epidural. It can be done.

sorry I didn't mean that to sound like it's a competition - just meant that miracurously for me, I didn't end up with the epidural that I had shouted for them to give me, because I was told it was too late and I had to just push him out.

I had it with DS1 and only had gas and air.

I was induced at 40 + 12 with DS (my 1st).

I had a sweep a couple of days before, but no pessary or sweep day of induction.

As others have said - it is quite brutal. I went from walking into the labour room to BAM full on contractions in about 15 mins flat. It doesn't give you much time to adjust to the pain.... however I managed on G and A.
I asked for an epidural at one point, but was told it was going to be at least 3 hours 'as there are other women waiting' .
On the plus side, the drip was put in at 9.45 and DS born at 2.30, so from start to finish it wasn't too long.
TBH I don't have fond memories of that labour, however as I had no other reference point, I thought it was always like that.

I would say slowly increasing the dose on the drip would be an advantage, if only to give your body chance to get use to the pain.

I had it with ds1 and managed without any painkillers. but I was 10cm before they put it in.

Both my children were induced.

With ds1 they started me on the gel (pros something?) on the wednesday, finally took me to delivery suite on the SATURDAY!! And broke my waters and stuck me on the drip cos after all that time I was still only ONE centimetre dilated! No epidural, just gas and air (bloody brilliant stuff! Wish they sold it ) and a shot of pethidine at one point, which did nothing at all. But the gas and air was great!

Same with ds2, started me off on the, gawd I can't remember the day it was another 3 or 4 days of the gel though. And I thought he was born on a saturday like ds1, but I've just looked and it was a Tuesday. Oh dear me. [bad mother emoticon]. I had an epidural with ds2 because they thought I might end up needing a cs so they wanted me to have the epidural because it would be easier if things started to go wrong. I persuaded them to let me have gas & air while they stuck the needle in me though! - they normally won't, in case you move.

I "managed" for 6 hours and was hallucinating from the pain of the back spasm that I got from trying to deal with the nightmarish contractions. The epidural was absolutel bliss.

I think my best tip is to refuse continous monitoring because that means you end up stuck on your back in agony IME.

Yes, was induced with both of mine and just had gas and air. Have nothing to compare it with but it wasn't nice having to be on my back for most of the time. That was the worst thing.

I agree with cargirl - I refused continuous monitoring, so instead the midwife held the handheld monitor thing to my stomach a lot of the time, fitting around whichever stance or position I was in. It was much better for me, and made for a more tiring shift for her, but to be fair she told me she want the same thing in labour.

I also turned down a lot of the vaginal examinations they wanted to do, as I didn't want to lie down. I could tell how things were progressing from how I felt.

I was induced with DD at 40+12.

Gel then waters broke naturally an hours later, leaving the MW thinking it would be a quick one.
It wasnt! After a while I had the drip and it really did beef up the contractions! My labour was 27 hours from my waters breaking so def needed and Epidural. The contractions were double peaking and made them last 2.5 minutes each with hardly any let up between them.

I too was dead against the Epi and was determined not to have one but after finding Gas and air was just making me sick and then pethadine wasnt working, it was my only resort. It was bliss!

Id say Dont rule it out, and just see how you go. You dont know how your body will react and how strong the contractions will be. Everyone has different pain thresholds so it varies greatly.

Good luck and whatever happens you will have you lovely DC at the end!