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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

is childbirth without pain relief possible?

120 replies

steff1stbabysep06 · 21/06/2006 10:40

hi i live in spain and they dont provide pain relief in hospitals here, not even gas and air.this is my first baby and im so worried im not going to be able to cope....i mean obviously women have to do it but am i going to feel like im ready to die??? help!!

OP posts:
motherpeculiar · 21/06/2006 19:24

this book helped me after i had a bad experience first time around - mostly fear on my part i think but a bit of misdirected baby head didn't help

managed the 2nd at home with no pain relief (but a big deep pool and some whale music, i know, i know )

good luck, it's all very much worth it whatever kind of labour you have

popsycal · 21/06/2006 19:34

I had no pain relief with ds2 - no gas and air either.
well I took a paracetemol about 10 minutes before he entered the world but I don't suppose that really counts. Your body does just take over. I remember closing my eyes and really listening hard to what the midwife was telling me to do.

Pruni · 21/06/2006 19:38

Message withdrawn

Enid · 21/06/2006 19:38
FrayedKnot · 21/06/2006 19:41

Hi steff

My dsis had my nephew in Spain and she had an epidural, and from what I could gather epidural is given as standard there..

so perhaps you should check out some otehr hospitals? Whereabouts are you?

Original poster
steff1stbabysep06 · 21/06/2006 19:54

wow!! i only left the pc for a few hours and come back to a million replies!!! very varying but thank you..more more more please!!!
as for gas and air and pethidine, apparently no arent available at all....epidural is available in some hospitals but apparently the dosage is very very low providing little relief so i dont think it would be worth the risks!! as for pools and balls and stuff....nooooo way..nice thought though!!i am so scared though, coming back to uk is not really an option as fiance has to work, not really keen on staying with parents.i dont speak spanish either and have heard varying stories on having your partner with you..some ladies i know have been allowed partner the whole time, others only at the last minute,others for the labour but not the birth and some not at all!! you share a room with another lady too....its all so scary, i just want to get it over and done with!! i have heard one or two good reports from ladies who have been to the hospital i am going to yet a horror story too.in spain i have heard the approach is very medicalised in the fact that there is no mollycoddling its just a case of get on with it and do what youre told or else plus the final part of the birth you are in stirrups!!...it is very basic but the aftercare is supposed to be excellent.what does everyone think about this????is it going to be a nightmare or do you think i will just cope because i have to????i wouldnt mind so much if id had a baby before as i would know roughly what to expect but i dont have a clue how bad it will be or what it will feel like..help!!!

OP posts:
Pruni · 21/06/2006 19:59

Message withdrawn

SenoraPostrophe · 21/06/2006 20:03

steff - quick reply as must go, but I live in spain and they do have pain releif, just not gas and air. you can have pethidine in most places or epidural. And the dose is the same as in the uk, although some hospitals do mobile epidurals (i.e. lower dose ones - also like they do in the uk).

however birth without pain relief is possible - I did it with ds. the most important thing you need to do is learn the phrases you'll need or (preferably) get at least 2 spanish speakers to volunteer to come with you (2 in case one's away when the baby comes). do not rely on the staff speaking english.

Mercy · 21/06/2006 20:04

Fairymum, I didn't do yoga, have a mantra or anything before I went into labour. I fully expected to have an epidural tbh - in fact I asked for one but was told both times it was too late. It was the most painful experience I've ever had in my whole life - it took nearly 6 months before I stopped reliving the experience of my first labour on a regular basis. tbh it was more down to the fact that not one midwife would accept that a first labour can take place in less than 12 hours.

Sorry I could go on but rant over!!

Also, I had a student midwife (male) observing. Apparently he had never seen a 'natural' childbirth in 2 years of training. I think that's just how they class 'natural' , ie no epidural or emergency c-section etc

SenoraPostrophe · 21/06/2006 20:06

pruni - not holding with "you have to" etc is all very well when you speak the language fully and know what's going on actually.

but anyway some spanish midwives do natural birth stuff - it's luck of the draw in some ways. I would recommend you write up a birth plan in spanish in very simple terms and give it to them when you go in. don't write an essay, just 6 or 7 major points (eg no quiero epesiotomia. no quiero enema). otherwise, just remember that it's the end result that's important, not the birth.

Pruni · 21/06/2006 20:12

Message withdrawn

LIZS · 21/06/2006 20:24

I'm sure you could use your own ball - an exercise one if needs be - and Tens machine - this company shipped from UK for me . You may get quizzical looks but as long as you and the baby were doing ok there probably wouldn't be a problem, just play the eccentric British woman ! Do you have a dedicated OB/Gyn or midwife with whom you could discuss pain relief options and your worries beforehand and arrange to visit the Maternity facilities.

Original poster
steff1stbabysep06 · 21/06/2006 20:41

senorapostophe-brill advice, can i ask what part of spain you live in and was your birth experience in spain???
thanks everyone else too for being sooo helpful its really nice to get peoples opinions x

OP posts:
mrsgee · 21/06/2006 20:44

sorry to butt in and havnt read all msgs. i gave birth to both my kids with no pain relief. i spent alot of the time moving around and then focussed on my breathing. good luck

LIZS · 21/06/2006 20:45

Agree with SP's advice about having something basic written in Spanish . I got hold of a list of birthing terms in English and German which largely got me through the communication issues, and the midwives took a copy for themselves to use in future.

SenoraPostrophe · 21/06/2006 20:50

marbella and granada. soon to have another one at granada. plus have heard stories from several others. the only one I know of that apparently doesn't do pethedine is the one in gran canaria. marbella has far fewer english speaking staff than you'd think.

DominiConnor · 21/06/2006 21:10

Enid, I was told by the widvives who rooled their eyes, sighed, and apologised fro the noise.

fistfullofnappies · 21/06/2006 22:03

dommiconnor, screaming is not necessarily a consquence of natural childbirth. Anyway, I was in the next room from a screamer, and her dh/dp was screaming just as loudly, in unison with her!!
I had 2 of mine without any pain relief or screaming. It was just luck, that it didn't hurt that much those times. Another time, it was quite painful, and I had a lot of gas and air.

SenoraPostrophe · 21/06/2006 22:04

screaming is a kind of pain relief though.

hunkermunker · 21/06/2006 22:06

DC, it's perfectly possible to have a baby without pain relief and without screaming. More than once, in fact.

Again, it's perfectly possible to scream and have had pain relief.

But keep talking about your experience of childbirth, there's a poppet. It makes me laugh.

Greensleeves · 21/06/2006 22:08

DC, your habit of turning up in the most inappropriate places is hilarious. It reminds me of one of those fairground shooting galleries where the targets pop up and dance about waiting to be shot down

Snafu · 21/06/2006 22:10

You're even more helpful than usual tonight, DC.

morocco · 21/06/2006 22:15

you could get a tens machine and plan on staying at home as long as pos using that then hopefully you will get as far along as pos before going in to the hospital. tens can be used with monitoring equipment so the midwives don't need to be freaked out by it if they don't know what it is. I'd really recommend getting a good friend who speaks good Spanish to come with you if at all pos - a female presence can be calming anyway and she will know what you want.
and I don't want to sound negative, but read up on the c section part of any books you have and make sure you can ask for whatever it is (eg more morphine!) in Spanish just in case

sansouci · 21/06/2006 22:16

my sister did it on her yoga mat, squatting. bully for her.

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 21/06/2006 22:20

i had no pain relief for dd2 and it was ok. but I have to say I'm not sure i could have done it with dd1 - not because the pain was different but because the labour was so long and I was exhausted. fwiw, I thinnk you increase your chances of a straight-forward birth by keeping fit in pregnancy - lots of walking and/or swimming - if nothing else it must be good for your stamina