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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Vomiting in labour

55 replies

Bex2110 · 22/12/2016 16:21

Hi everyone.

I have emetaphobia (a fear of being sick) and I have heard that lots of women vomit during labour. This absolutely petrifies me, and I more scared about thia than the pain of labour. I was just wondering how many of you have/have not been sick during labour.

Thanks in advance x

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CatsAndCocktails · 22/12/2016 16:57

Can you midwife or doctor not arrange for you to have medication to prevent you being sick? At the hospital, I had several injections during both labours to stop nausea and sickness. I am sure they would rather preempt a situation arising. Good luck.

Ibelieve123 · 22/12/2016 16:59

3 labours & sick in my 2nd but only because of the midwife & partner Making my eat!!!
You'll be fine explain how you feel there will be something they can do for you.

MoreBushThanMoss · 22/12/2016 17:06

Oh OP please try not to worry too much.

I didn't have pain relief but DID vomit a lot when I was fully dilated and pushing ... But that was probably because I'd eaten an entire pasta bake with chorizo shortly before I realised I was in labour.

What I would say is that DP who is an emetophobe was TOTALLY unfazed by all the vomit, because he was so wrapped up in the moment, and distracted by looking after me. I didn't care because I was in labour and there were SO many other (amazing, overwhelming, scary, magnificent) feelings that were taking over. Oxytocin is a marvellous thing.

I also practiced (by myself at home) and breathing exercises, and antenatal yoga - and think they absolutely got me through without pain relief.

Fingers crossed for you- and try and enjoy it. It's an amazing, mad thing you do when you give birth- and I hope your emetophobia doesn't get in the way of that for you.

debbs77 · 22/12/2016 17:17

I've had six labours and was only sick once in the first. Wet myself at the same time!

MistyMeena · 22/12/2016 17:23

Two labours here with just about every drug and intervention known to man (in the first one anyway) and didn't even feel slightly queasy!

CatsCantFlyFast · 22/12/2016 17:25

Emetophobic and was sick with every contraction and it honestly didn't bother me. I can't explain it. I'm still fearful to the point that if my daughter feels ill I leave the room but in labour it didn't even remotely panic me

ButtMuncher · 22/12/2016 17:29

Emetaphobe here too - I ended up with c section in the end and if you too end up with one for whatever reason, I didn't feel sick nor was sick at all. I was phenomenally lucky in the I wasn't sick once during pregnancy although I felt iffy the first 15w.

Fishcakey · 22/12/2016 17:31

Very phobic. Insist on Stemetil. I had Meptid for pain which also has an anti emetic in it. Felt fab throughout labour! I was more worried about being sick than giving birth lol

ElsieBobo · 22/12/2016 17:34

I have very fast labours and both times I have been sick during transition. I am also a bit funny about bodily motions etc but to be honest i was so focused and in the zone by that point I simply focused on practicalities of getting dish to be sick in and getting ready for next contraction and to start pushing etc. I really recommend hypnobirthing practice in last weeks of pregnancy if you are anxious about it.

mamatiger2016 · 22/12/2016 17:36

Sorry OP, I was sick all the way through my labour, even after anti sickness injections. I didn't feel sick though if that makes sense, it was more of whenever a contraction came that was particularly horrid I threw up.

BelafonteRavenclaw · 22/12/2016 17:39

I have the weakest stomach and will be sick at the slightest possibility of it happening. I didn't feel queasy in my 2 labours. One was quick, one long. Both with g&a.

JosephineMaynard · 22/12/2016 17:42

Vomited throughout all 3 labours, at least up to the pushing stage.
No pain relief in the first labour either, so I think it's the contractions that were causing it for me.

I didn't have any anti-sickness injections though, don't know if that would make a difference.

Mummytobe11 · 22/12/2016 17:47

I'm the same :-(. I'm only having gas and air or an epidural and they will also give me anti sickness meds if it will make me anxious. Speak to your midwife

CwtchMeQuick · 22/12/2016 17:47

I'm emetaphobic too and was sick once during labour but it honestly didn't bother me at all. I think all the hormones and your focus being on other things completely changes it. I'm the only person I know who's vomited during labour too, but I did have the worst morning sickness by far out of all of my friends and getting my period makes me sick too, so I think I'm just particularly sensitive to hormones.

Mrsmadcatlady · 22/12/2016 17:51

Hi there, fellow emetephobe here! I have 2 dc, with both during labour I felt fine, then just before delivery 'bleuugghhh' one puke then all ok! I had pethidine then epidural with first (may have had a emergency c section) and just a half dose of pethidine with the second. I coped pretty well (and I'm pretty bad with it tbh - I refuse to help at dd school in case there's a bug going round, won't take people I don't know in my car in case they are travel sick etc etc). They do give antisickness with some pain relief, with second, I was haemorrhaging badly and they gave me an Iv shot that makes you very sick (to stop me bleeding out) and even put one of those paper hat things under my chin to catch it, but YAY didn't happen, antisickness they gave prior to pethidine stopped it.
I also had gas and air, just gave me a deep voice and a drunk feeling. I also had it when I had my arm cast last year (I smashed my wrist falling over) and it was fantastic! Didn't feel sick.
My best advice is not to try to fixate on it too much. Labour is scary and exciting, and there's periods of a lot going on with lots of boring bits (if you have a long labour like I did). Eat little and often, keep away from fizzy or spicy foods, and look forward to seeing your new bundle of joy!

I'm now struggling with helping to care for my dad who has stage 4 bowel cancer, and has been having chemotherapy. He's been okish, I haven't been with him when he's sick but my mum wants me to help (look after him) when she's having to work, I feel so awfully petrified. No one around me understands how completely terrified and panicked I am about this but I have to try to suck it up get through it.

imip · 22/12/2016 17:51

I vomited during labour in the birthing pool. I did have gas and air, which makes me very nauseous. I had to hop out of the birthing pool :-(

I am very prone to nausea though, get HG throughout pregnancy and very car sick.

LillyBugg · 22/12/2016 17:55

I was sick when the contractions really got going. But I would agree with a PP who said there was hardly any nausea, it just happened. I don't have the phobia so I don't know if that makes it better or worse! I was also sick just after stitches due to the gas and air. That was a more nauseous feeling that I guess could have been avoided by not having the gas and air. Not sure I realistically could have refused that pain relief though.

gunting · 22/12/2016 17:59

I wasn't sick during my whole pregnancy and during Labour, I ate steak, blue cheese, mash and about 2 hours late I was 9cm dilated. I did puke then but i was in a lot of pain so I didn't really notice.

GoodyGoodyGumdrops · 22/12/2016 18:04

I did not vomit or feel queasy in any of my labours.

Using Entonox lightly caused me no problems either, but if I took a lot of it then my throat got very dry and I retched. A sip of water sorted that out immediately, so dh stood by with a sports-cap bottle of water and offered it to me as soon as I took the Entonox mouthpiece out of my mouth.

Hopelass · 22/12/2016 18:06

I didn't in either of my two. Didn't feel sick either. Used gas and air with no nausea.

rachyconks · 22/12/2016 18:38

Bex I did hypnobirthing and loved it. Also had no actual sickness during pregnancy just full blown nausea for the first 18 weeks, both times. Incredibly lucky emetophobe here!

Original poster

Bex2110 · 22/12/2016 18:46

Rachy, this makes me so happy!!! I'm just dreading it!!! I hope I will be okay though!!

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories xx

OP posts:

annlee3817 · 22/12/2016 23:21

I was sick the whole time I pushed, and didn't have pain relief, just used hypnobirthing. I'm pretty sure you can get an anti sickness Injection during labour of it's needed? Sorry that's not of much help

Nikki2ol6 · 23/12/2016 03:40

The gas and air made me vomit, it was amazing to take for the pain but I almost felt like I had a hang over afterward and began to vomit 🤢. It was during my pushing stage too, the midwife gave me a sick dish and sat at the bottom of the bed telling me to push as I sat there repeatedly spewing in the dish

HorridHenryrule · 23/12/2016 03:49

You will be fine as soon as contractions start feeling sick will be the last be the last thing on your mind. I felt high when I had gas and air the trick is to only use when you are having a contraction. I was told to calm down and not over use it. If you decide to have an epidural it does slow things down and I don't think the midwifes like giving them out.

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