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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Pain relief options in labour

72 replies

New2020 · 17/09/2020 22:21

I've been educating myself on the various pain relief options and curious to know what other mums/ mums to be opted for..

What are your pain relief preferences and what was your thinking?

I'm not sure but I was thinking starting with gas and air but concerned that too much will make me feel sick and out of it which I really would hate. If it gets really bad then an epidural though I am concerned that contractions can slow and may result in assisted birth :(...

I ruled out opiate injections as it crosses the placenta to baby

What did you plan for?

OP posts:

rorosemary · 18/09/2020 12:16

I don't know why so many people online are against epidurals (although this thread is quite positive). You don't feel it sitting in your back. Having a catheter is easy since you don't have to go to the loo anymore (every 5 minutes), you can still move around, your head stays clear, it's the best pain relief, it doesn't impact the baby. Yes it can have side effects, so do all other choices.

Megan2018 · 18/09/2020 12:19

Opiates get a bad reputation but I was very glad I had Pethidine.

My labour progressed very fast and I was panicking. I had a fair amount of bleeding and my breathing etc went out of control. MW was clearly aware that I wasn’t going to get the epidural I wanted, so she very gently suggested some Pethidine. DH and I were resistant but she explained clearly why she thought it would help me.
I had a small amount, it didn’t make me feel sick or out of it as I thought it would. I just relaxed and got my breathing back. It wore off within 2hrs, well before baby was born (6.5hr labour) and I finished with the g&a

It was very effective at calming me without any ill effects even though I was very anti. I’m glad we felt able to trust the MW, who was brilliant.

Frazzled13 · 18/09/2020 12:20

Gas and air didn’t make me feel sick or out of it. They said if I breathed it in really quickly it might make me feel sick, so to do slow and steady breaths instead.

Itllbeaninterestingchristmas · 18/09/2020 12:22

I found different pain relief options had different effects in both labours. Gas and air useless in first great in second. Pethedine made me feel out of it in first but worked well in second.
Tens machine good in both, heat good in both. Standing under shower great in first, spent the second on my back in bed. First very active in labour.
First had an epidural then an emcs as he was too big. Second hardly moved and an unassisted delivery.
It’s a good idea to be clued up then you know what you are asking for in labour without having to think too much.

Original poster

New2020 · 18/09/2020 13:19

@squirrelnutzippers that's really helpful! Can you request the epidural placement early so it is there..and then for the epidural medication later if needed?

OP posts:

tornadoalley · 18/09/2020 13:26

Gas and air was fine. It was enough to get over the crest of the end of the first stage and into the pushing phase. Didn't need anything else and I didn't feel sick.

Helenknowsbest · 18/09/2020 14:07

I tried to plan what pain relief I wanted but the truth is as soon as labour got going I wanted everything possible. Gas & air, diamorphine, epidural. Best to go with an open mind

PopsicleHustler · 18/09/2020 16:51

For my first child, I had just gas and air and spent pretty much of it in the bath

Second child, I had the oxytocin drip, which is the worst thing in the world. Rather have teeth pulled out. Gas and air wasnt helping as the drip makes you have back to back contractions and was begging for the epidural but the anaesthitist wasn't available and in the end she came quicker than expected.

Third child, pethidine to start with which helped up until 7cm when it wore off after being given it at 3cm perhaps 6 hours before. Took the gas and air and had a water birthm which is fantastic

Fourth child, was given pethidine but was not administered properly and wore off within an hour or two. Then was given gas and air. Which towards the end wasnt helping.

Fifth child, due jan next year. Hopefully, just have gas and air and the wonderful water birth.

Negatives of gas and air, I had it for rather a long time it did make me chunder, even our second child I puke all over his arms. I have long labours so do end up on gas and air for the best part if half a day . Hopefully child number 5 will be quicker .....

Best if luck OP. ALL MY LOVE

squirrelnutzippers · 19/09/2020 12:35

@New2020
Not really - when we put an epidural in, we want to make sure it will actually work to provide pain relief in the area that you need (i.e. that it's not one sided/with patches of no cover/other issues). That means giving pain relieving medication down it as part of the insertion process. You can let that first dose wear off and not top up, I suppose, but if your labour is relatively quick, you'll be holding the baby by the time that happens! You'd need to be in established labour before you can get one. At this point you know what you're dealing with pain-wise, and whatever you're feeling will only get worse as you get closer and closer to fully dilated. Only YOU know what's tolerable and whether you're getting closer to the maximum you can cope with.

FizzingWhizzbee123 · 20/09/2020 18:17

I didn’t cope well with pain in labour. The TENS machine just seemed to hurt and shock me without relieving any pain. I had a pain relief injection which just knocked me out for a bit then I woke up in more pain. Never got to try gas and air as they gave me an empty canister 🙄

My epidural was amazing. I really want another one this time.

Original poster

New2020 · 21/09/2020 00:07

It's good to read through all the various experiences and how things can differ

With gas and air can you request / be given it as soon as you go to the hospital or do you have to be dilated past a certain point?

OP posts:

Superscientist · 21/09/2020 08:33

When I went into triage to be checked the first time I was given cocodamol after my exam (at 2 cm), they didn't offer anything else but I was coping OK at this point and I think they could see that.

I went in a second time and told then over the phone I wasn't coping with the pain. On arrival they had filled the birth pool ready for me and I was offered gas and air once they had completed my second exam. They were just about able to do the exam between contractions.

pollysproggle · 21/09/2020 08:45

Just gas and air for the first two which were spontaneous labour. My third was induced so I decided to have an epidural as heard the pain intensified quicker.

The epidural was great, well all 30 mins of it because it wore off quickly and in the end gave birth with just the gas and air before I could get a top up. In hindsight I didn't need it.

Dyra · 21/09/2020 10:11

Can't speak for a spontaneous labour, but gas and air was made available to me as soon as I was in the labour room, even though I was nowhere near being in labour at the time.

I forgot to mention as well that I was in no way sick or nauseous with the diamorphine. But I honestly cannot remember if I was given a shot of ondansatron (strong anti-emetic) alongside it or not. I don't think I was, might have been offered, but I can't be sure.

flossletsfloss · 21/09/2020 12:26

I personally don't like that drunk feeling but I loved gas and air! I did feel completely out of my head and I had lapses in time but it was a great pain reliever and didn't make me feel sick at all.
In my second labour I had an epidural and unfortunately was the one who had a post dural puncture. I was left with a headache that had me bedridden and needed a procedure called a blood patch.
Unfortunately the reality is you won't know until it happens. If you can manage without pain relief then that's the best option but a lot of women will want some help. Epidurals do carry risks but at the same time the birth of my second was more enjoyable because I was present and not in pain. I don't think there is any right way to do it. Good luck

movingonup20 · 21/09/2020 12:30

I didn't have pain relief but highly recommend a ball to sit on throughout labour, rocking through contractions really helps. I've had 2 kids. Obviously if you need an assisted delivery or csection it's different but the pain from a normal delivery is ok, very different to acute pain

movingonup20 · 21/09/2020 12:36

@fellrunner85

But we are different, one persons idea of unbearable pain another person can cope ok. I know I have a high pain threshold (more accurately my body doesn't seem to convey pain messages to my brain as much) it's not just childbirth but I've had broken limbs I didn't realise I broke etc. We are all different, no right or wrong

AegonT · 21/09/2020 15:10

Like you I didn't want opiate injections as it crosses the placenta. I didn't want to be trying to breastfeed an overly sleepy baby or to feel sick and out of it. I've also reacted badly to codeine in the past. I was also worried about feeling sick with gas and air but it wears of the second you stop using it so if you feel woozy just have a short break and go slower with it after. I thought it was amazing. I ended up having failure to progress so when they wanted to speed labour up with syntocin I asked for an epidural. It worked very well but yes I did and up having a ventouse delivery. This time ideally I'd like to just have gas and air.

ImaSababa · 21/09/2020 15:59

I went into labour thinking it wouldn't be too bad, and planning to have just gas and air. As it happened, I found contractions to be unbearable, but gas and air made me vomit so I had an epidural.

waterlego · 21/09/2020 16:04

I hoped to manage with minimal pain relief and I was able to do just that, largely I think because my births were fairly quick.

With the first one, I was screeching for an epidural by the time I got to hospital but I was in fact fully dilated and ready to push so no time for anything other than one drag on the entonox.

For the second one, I used TENS then got into a birthing pool to give birth. No drugs for that one.

In my experience, just as I got to the point of thinking I couldn’t possibly take any more and might actually die of pain that was the transition point, after which I could put my focus into pushing.

Some people’s labours go on a long time though and if that had happened to me, I would probably have wanted all the drugs.

fellrunner85 · 21/09/2020 16:15

But we are different, one persons idea of unbearable pain another person can cope ok

Yes...but the point I was making is that all births are not equal.

By way of example, I've had one agonising, kill-me-now labour and one straightforward one with no pain relief. If I'd just had the straightforward one, I may well have put it down to a "high pain threshold" (I mean, I've been known to race a half marathon without realising I had a broken foot, so I'm no wimp). If I'd had just the agonising one, I may have thought the opposite.

So it's quite easy for people to put their coping in childbirth down to a high pain threshold, whereas in reality there's no wsy of knowing if they were just having an easier time. I've had friends cope very well with childbirth whereas they're the type to scream the house down with a wasp sting. You just never know what others are feeling.

emotionalbutterfly · 21/09/2020 17:00

Does anyone know where I can buy anything like the coat in this pic or the jumper in the other pic. Really
Like the stuff on chicwish but it's expensive with bad reviews. If it was cheap with bad reviews I'd get it but the prices are too expensive to risk shit service.

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