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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Pethidine- your experiences

85 replies

Luckyelephant1 · 21/06/2021 12:56

Hi, I'm FTM 37 weeks and finalising my birth plan, specifically pain relief options.

My ideal birth would be paracetamol, Tens, be very mobile and upright and then to be in a birthing pool in an MLU just using gas and air, breathing techniques etc. Of course I know that may not be the reality and I may need something stronger, especially if I need to be induced, or if labour ends up being ridiculously long, etc.

My hospital uses Pethidine as their main opioid painkiller. I can't decide whether to accept Pethidine or go straight to an epidural. I'm kind of leaning away from Pethidine as I don't want to feel totally spaced out and out of control which I've heard is common, and I'm the kind of person who hates feeling out of control. At least with gas and air if you feel spaced out you just stop using it, whereas you can't reverse Pethidine once administered. However I know that midwives can adminster this in an MLU which is a major pro, whereas obviously with an epidural you need to be on the delivery suite (my MLU is attached so I guess that's not the worst thing, but it's just the change in environment etc that might disrupt my flow).

I'd rather not have either as I want to remain as mobile as possible, but interested to hear other people's experiences with Pethidine. Would I be silly to decline it and go straight for an epidural? Did you still feel very spaced out after delivery? Etc...

OP posts:

OchonAgusOchonOh · 21/06/2021 15:53

Horrible, horrible stuff. All it did was make me feel completely spaced out and not have the energy to complain about the pain. It had no effect on the pain at all. It also made me feel very nauseous.

The fact I was so spaced out meant I really couldn't stay mobile or even kneel/all fours, which I found really good for alleviating pain in other labours. That meant the pain was even worse than before I got the pethidine.

Retrievemysanity · 21/06/2021 15:54

I had pethidine with my first labour which was progressing really slowly and I was 2cm dilated for hours and hours. Had the pethidine, thought the midwife was DH and told her I loved her and then went to sleep for a couple of hours. Woke up 8cm dilated. So I guess it did a job of sorts but I preferred gas and air. Second time around I just had the gas and air but the whole thing was a lot quicker and less tiring.

BlueyIsMyBae · 21/06/2021 15:55

I had my waters broken and was induced straight onto the dreaded drip so pretty intense. I stuck it out for a fair while then had some pethidine. Helped with the pain and certainly relaxed everything, I went from 4cm to 10cm in about 50 minutes and baby shot out. Much the the midwifes surprise. Would recommend

LoveMySituation · 21/06/2021 16:04

It's been interesting to read other's experiences, and I'm wondering (as I always have) why it didn't work on me. It made me high, and spaced out, but did nothing for the pain, and I remember being so angry at the time about this. Would the fact I have red hair have anything to do with this? Sounds mad, but redheads seem to have all kinds of things that are unusual in responses to things.

Original poster

Luckyelephant1 · 21/06/2021 16:14

@FTEngineerM
How have you been before on opioid pain relief?

I've never had it!

OP posts:

FTEngineerM · 21/06/2021 16:17

Just codeine/co codamol @Luckyelephant1 so nothing compared to the likes of pethidine in strength 😀🤭

Original poster

Luckyelephant1 · 21/06/2021 16:19

@FTEngineerM

Just codeine/co codamol *@Luckyelephant1* so nothing compared to the likes of pethidine in strength 😀🤭

Still, I've never had it. Luckily I've never needed anything stronger than paracetamol/ibuprofen in my life 🤷‍♀️ obviously that's about to change 😂

OP posts:

Verbena87 · 21/06/2021 16:26

I had pethidine and it really helped. Was sick a lot but I think that might have just been my body in labour as it carried on after peth had worn off. I did feel out of it but again, think that may have been birth: I was still upright/mobile, just high and spacey too. No impact on breastfeeding for us either.

I had oromorph for pain relief on the ward the day after (extended episiotomy that got infected. It hurt.) and absolutely hated it: it didn’t touch the pain but made me incredibly anxious and paranoid until it wore off.

So I think it’s quite personal really. I’d say open mind, use your midwife’s knowledge (they are generally really excellent people), and remember none of it lasts forever and birth is just the beginning - you get the rest of baby’s life to figure out ‘getting it right’: getting them into the world with both of you in one piece is an absolute win whatever the journey looks like.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 21/06/2021 16:31

@LoveMySituation

Nope. I'm dark blond and it didn't work on me.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 21/06/2021 16:35

@Luckyelephant1 - obviously that's about to change

Not necessarily. The only reason I had pethidine was because the medical staff talked me into it. I was having a termination for a ffa at 21 weeks so was being induced. They told me the pethidine would help with the emotional side of things too. It didn't help with anything.

For the next 3 labours, I remained active and laboured and delivered in an upright position. Staying upright and lots of yelling (it relaxes the muscles) was all I needed to manage the pain in those labours.

littledinokitty · 21/06/2021 16:36

I had a very long labour and I had several doses of pethedine to help me sleep. I don't remember feeling spaced out but it did make my memory very hazy and I was already barely functioning due to exhaustion. It allowed me to sleep which I really needed at the time and I'd happily have it again.

thebattleofschrutefarms · 21/06/2021 16:39

I think if you're going to have an epidural anyway then I'd go for that and pass on the pethidine. I felt really spaced out and like I'd lost control but could still feel the pain.

AutoGroup · 21/06/2021 16:41

I had pethidine in my first labour but didn't feel.it made any difference to my pain and baby slept for the first 24 hours, which maybe may not have been connected.

For my second I said I'd go straight to epidural but baby came too quickly / and I had to manage on gas and air.

To PP don't dismiss paracetamol, it's still one of the most effective pain medications we have and will be part of almost all pain management solutions. It is helpful for early labour at least.

busybanana · 21/06/2021 16:49

I had pethidine in my first labour and really hated it. It made me feel really spaced out and woozy - a bit like all the bad parts of being drunk with none of the good! It did nothing to help with the pain, but having had it I wasn't allowed to use the birth pool and there was no one available to give me an epidural so I just had to make the best of it with gas and air (which I didn't get on especially well with either - at least the effects wore off quickly though). In my subsequent labours I used the pool instead and it was so much nicer, with none of the side effects of pethidine.

WhiteHorse92 · 21/06/2021 17:47

My hospital Trust uses diamorphine rather than pethidine. I took the diamorphine as I was in labour in the middle of the night and had been awake since 6am that day so thought it was a good idea to take the edge off so I could maybe get some sleep before the pushing stage. I never felt spaced out or anything or had any side effects it just sort of made me slightly more relaxed and made the contractions a little bit shorter and less painful. They had to check the baby's heart rate and stuff every 15 minutes once the diamorphine was administered so it's not like I was left alone to try and get some sleep anyway. The gas and air on the other hand made me really really spaced out...... In a good way haha.

AmIPeriOrAreYouJustAnnoying · 21/06/2021 17:55

I found Pethidine to be marvellous!

AmIPeriOrAreYouJustAnnoying · 21/06/2021 17:57

Honestly when the time comes just take whatever you want. I really wanted minimal pain relief but once it came to it, I was up for having everything!

This!!

stretchypants · 21/06/2021 18:10

I had the same worries about being spaced out for the birth but was told they would only give it if I was less than 4cm. I was induced and decided to have it in early labour which luckily occurred at night and allowed me to get some sleep in between each contraction. If it was daytime though I’d have probably gone straight to an epidural

SlipperTripper · 21/06/2021 18:47

Pethidine was utterly amazing. Loved it. Even loved it when it made me throw my post-emergency-surgery jacket potato up over the nice doctor who came to see me afterwards. Didn't care though... pethidine, lol!

Seriously, it was most helpful.

MaBroon21 · 21/06/2021 19:06

I hallucinated on pethedine and said that a man had come into the room and tried to rape me. When I was told it hadn’t happened I asked why they’d put a big police dog in the corner of the room to guard me. I was told there was no dog and I said the people cutting through my room to get to the car park just have let it scale through the window.

It was horrendous.

DerbyshireMama · 21/06/2021 19:20

I had a really long, hard labour, largely without pain relief until closer to the end where I had pethidine. I was absolutely off my trolley, half conscious and hallucinating - but to be honest, I needed that as the labour had nearly broken me. As soon as I was ready to start pushing I "sobered up" straight away and delivered very quickly. If I was to give birth again and have a quicker and easier labour I wouldn't have the pethidine, but in that situation I just needed a break and a rest. Baby was absolutely fine and very alert when she was born too.

Xioxio · 21/06/2021 19:22

The cynical side of me thinks midwives are so eager to offer pethedine, especially to first time Mum's who turn up at night, so that they'll go to sleep for most of the labour.

PearlHeart3 · 21/06/2021 19:30

I had oramorph initially but threw up about 5 minutes after taking it so didn't feel any of the benefits from taking it unfortunately. I was given pethidine about 30 hours into my labour and honestly, I couldn't feel it working at all. I had better pain management with gas and air which I used once I got into the birthing pool.

Good luck with your birth and just take it as you feel in the moment!

actiongirl1978 · 21/06/2021 19:33

Hideous.
I felt drunk, it did nothing for the pain and it meant that I felt hungover once DD was born. I don't remember seeing her for the first time and in resent that. My private midwife wanted me to have immediate epidural as id been in labour for nearly 24hrs when admitted.

Horrible blonde midwife over ruled her and gave me pethidine.

Awful stuff.

onemouseplace · 21/06/2021 19:35

I was given pethidine in my third labour and thought it was great - it took the edge off the pain enough that I could doze and get some sleep which is just what I needed at the time. No ill effects at all, but I don't remember the effect lasting that long (a couple of hours, maybe?).

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