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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

vomiting in labour - does everyone?

103 replies

addie81 · 09/07/2010 16:07

I am quite phobic about being sick, and really really hate it. Quite a few ladies on MN seem to refer to being sick in labour at some point. I was just wondering if this is inevitable? Were you all sick whilst giving birth? Thanks!

OP posts:

CheerfulV · 16/07/2010 21:09

Oh bless you, I am just the same. Have been phobic about throwing up from a very young age and get really anxious if it seems like a possibility.

I felt mildly nauseous at one point when I was in labour, I was induced and I think the pain just made me feel a bit ill as the contractions were coming so thick and fast with no breaks just before I had the epidural. I declined gas and air because I didn't want to be sick, and felt it wouldn't agree with me. I'll never know whether it would have been fine, but I instinctively didn't fancy it.

But I wasn't sick, later I had the injection to expel the placenta but they'd given me something they called an antiacid (?) orally in case I needed a CS, so perhaps that was an antiemetic. No idea.

I sympathize massively with feeling frightened of vomiting, especially when other people don't seem too bothered and don't UNDERSTAND how scared it's possible to be of what is just on of many bodily functions I'm a firm believer in mind over matter, especially after I read some stats that indicated emetaphobes vomit very very rarely in their lives because they are able to control and suppress it more than others in similar situations. So, take heart! You may well not be sick at all.

haribomum · 16/07/2010 21:30

hi i totally feel your pain. i too am phobic about being sick and out of 3 vaginal deliveries have only been sick once.

i was sick on the birth of dc2. had a very long induced labour with the threaten of cs which was making me anxious and feeling sick. i was too busy concentrating on the pain of contractions to make an issue out of it and so was sick without it being too much of an issue.

discuss this fear with your midwife before hand and she will be abe to ensure you that you are ok and are safe. this support for me was the thing that made me cope and get on with it.

good luck!!

ThatVikRinA22 · 16/07/2010 21:40

i think pethadine made me have a sick labour with number one son.

i had no drugs at all with DD, (home birth) and wasnt sick at all, didnt feel sick.

i think pethadine is horrible. made me feel drunk and ill and out of control.

Linnet · 16/07/2010 21:51

I was sick the first time but it was caused by a combination of the diamorphine followed by the epidural, the drugs generally didn't agree with me. I didn't have either or those in my second labour and I wasn't sick.

Wholelottalove · 16/07/2010 22:10

I had pethidine with DD and it made me sick almsot immediately. My sister also had pethidine and was sick. But have had a friend who had it and wasn't sick although I think she felt queasy.

MrsTittleMouse · 16/07/2010 22:18

I was very sick with DD1, but not at all with DD2. I hate being sick in normal life, but, even though I'd obviously rather not be sick in labour, it didn't bother me so much as I'd have thought - the contractions were quite a distraction.

There are anti-emetic drugs that are safe for labour if you are sick, by the way. And you're right to avoid gas and air and pethidine, because that can make things worse.

On a positive note, I've heard that being sick can force the baby down to engage better - which actually fits with an experience of mine - so it can be a useful thing, even if it isn't the most pleasant.

everythingiseverything · 16/07/2010 22:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gaelicsheep · 16/07/2010 22:24

The horrific nausea I experienced in my first labour was one of the things I really dreaded in my second. But with my second I didn't feel even the slightest bit nauseous, not even with the injection for the third stage. It was quite funny actually because I was getting dreadful afterpains, almost worse than the contractions, and begging for painkillers and they refused saying I'd just throw them back up. They wouldn't believe me when I said I didn't feel sick at all so I had to prove it by eating some toast and keeping it down.

everythingiseverything · 16/07/2010 22:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Starlet71 · 16/07/2010 22:37

I'm really phobic about being sick too - as much as I wanted a baby I was terrified of the whole morning-sickness/vomitting in labour thing, so I sympathise. In the end I had a couple of episodes of nausea when pg (possibly due to my tendency to focus on any signs of impending vom), but no actual sickness. Eating regularly helped. For the labour (hospital delivery), on my birthplan I requested an anti-emetic to be written up as soon as I arrived on the labour ward to save me getting panicky and having to wait for it later.

A couple of staff on shift were a bit skeptical..I suspect it prob seems like a trivial concern given the context of giving birth..but I did manage to get one and didn't feel sick at all. I chose not to have opiates because of the nausea side effects and went for epidural instead, which worked really well for me.

I'm not sure where you're at in terms of having a baby, but I do hope that the fear of being sick won't put you off. There are things you can do to reduce nausea etc during pg and labour. The worst thing to do is work yourself up by scanning the internet for vomit-related topics (ahem, like I did) - just work out a plan for managing the feelings if they arise for you. If you are sick it will be unpleasant, and for people like us (!) very scary but you will survive! It's difficult to put into words how it feels to have a baby without sounding trite, but believe me, it's worth it.

Good luck!

pooka · 16/07/2010 22:38

I wasn't sick in any of my 3 labours.

MonkeyChicken · 16/07/2010 22:44

I was sick during early labour at home before going to hospital, quite a bit. It was made worse by trying to eat. I was not sick once I'd got to the hospital and had no problems with gas and air. My DD is now 2 and I know a lot of mums and I've only ever met one other who was sick during labour. As long as you take your gas and air as instructed I don't think it's that common. Good Luck. x

ButterflyChild · 16/07/2010 22:49

Hi, none of my friends were sick at all. Vomitting in labour is...vomitting with every single contraction. Bit like having norovirus. I've got my mother's handbook on breathing exercises, written by her antenatal teacher in the 1960s. She advocates breathing exercises but notes that it is only the very very rare ladies who vomit who cannot follow these exercises. Also, vomitting means no gas and air as that makes you nauseous/vomitty. I'd like to know whether the vomitting thing is unique to the labour, or whether it means that I'll be up all night vomitting with dc2. Please not again!

Original poster

addie81 · 18/07/2010 20:48

thanks everyone for replying. I really appreciate those who took the time to do so - particularly the fellow vomit phobics out there! Its nice to know I am not the only one. x

OP posts:

Fifilafrog · 08/03/2012 19:19

Also an emetophobe and 36 weeks pg. It's comforting to know I'm not alone! Watched OBEM last night - mistake!!! Will ask for antiemetics too. Good luck! X

ZuzuBailey · 08/03/2012 19:55

I'm not a 'sicky' person, even in early pregnancy I felt hungover and nauseous but was never sick.

3 births - no vomiting, no nausea. Had pethidine with 2 of them and G&A with all three.

I didn't eat or drink anything during labour - maybe that helped.

Jess850 · 08/03/2012 20:00

I didn't so much as feel queasy with DS1 labour, felt it with DS2 in early labour but was then fine. I have got a thing about it too but I have asked everyone I know and all those who honked in labour had Girls - might just be a co-incidence though and only a few overall were actually sick in labour. I am worried about puking with this third labour but am going to take my travel sick wrist bands and going to try and stop eating so blooming much in these final weeks ;-)

Jess850 · 08/03/2012 20:29

I was not sick with DS1 or DS2.
I was worried of G&A making me feel sick so refused anything in my first labour until I got to 8cm then gave in but it did not make me feel or be sick.
I had a sweep the day before both my births and did not eat a thing after that and just sipped water - I can't eat when I get nervous/excited maybe that helped too?
Also took my travel sick wrist bands (which I used for morning sickness) they might not do a thing but it was a little comfort.

PavlovtheCat · 08/03/2012 20:32

Yes, sudden dramatic vomiting over Dh. Twice. Bless him dealt with it very well. That was pg one. Pg two, dramatic sudden vomiting during a contraction across bathroom wall on route to loo.

PavlovtheCat · 08/03/2012 20:35

But not through whole thing though, just those times.

Oh, and once into g&a mask. Put Dh off having any more than the oe go I allowed him!

Rollerbaby · 08/03/2012 20:36

I did vomit late on in labour, but frankly it was the last thing on my mind as I was too busy contracting and you;re also not in your normal state of awareness if you see what I mean. Labour puts you in a more primal zone so it really didn't bother me once I'd been briefly sick. I think that must have been about 4-5 cms.

ilovesprouts · 08/03/2012 20:39

i was sick wen i was in labour with dd1 ,mind you the nurse gave me tea and toast + gas & air ,not nice combo .... but hey i did not poo myself :O

ilovesprouts · 08/03/2012 20:39

SecondTimeLucky · 08/03/2012 20:51

Two births- one with every intervention and drug going (except pethidine/diamorphine), one with nothing at all. No vomiting at all in either labour (unless I've blanked it out).

I generally have an extremely strong stomach, if that's relevant. I am very rarely sick in normal life, and if I get a stomach bug I tend to get it milder than the rest of the family.

startail · 08/03/2012 21:07

I did with DD1, crappy hospital soup.

Not with DD2, HB only my own dubious cooking to contend with

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