Unsure on pain relief?

[Bethandfreddie]

Hi! I'm being induced a week today and I'm really unsure about what pain relief I should go for.

This is my second time now giving birth, and with my first I did it without pain relief (tried gas and air, hated it), and was begging for an epidural in the end but it was too late.

I have always been proper anti epidural for myself as I have bad health anxiety but I'm now I'm starting to consider it as I don't want to be in that sort of pain again without anything. But as I said, I have health anxiety and the potential side effects of an epidural is what scares me the most.

I know they have to tell you all the risks and potential complications, and I know epidurals have been around for so long now and they give them often but I can't help but panic that I'm going to be one of the unlucky ones who ends up with an infection or nerve damage, or just any of the severe side effects.

In my birth plan I said I would like to try remifentanil, but I started to worry about that too as I can't seem to find much online about people's experiences with it. I was also told it's not been about for too long, so that worries me as well.

I know there are side effects for everything, I know I overthink majorly, I would just really appreciate any advice given.

Thank you in advance :)

I did it with only gas and air, after a midwife explained how to properly use it. A lot of people don't actually take in any and think it's not working but are just using it wrong. Like you I didn't have time for an epidural.

I read the Positive Birth Book from cover to cover before choosing. In the end I didn't have any birth plan and was just following the midwives lead and recommendation!

Ask to talk to the anethatist (shocking spelling but you know what I mean hopefully!) they will talk you through the options and the pros and cons to help you decide. When I had DS they helped me weigh things up and make the decision that was best for us.

My biggest pain relief was the doula pushing my hips together. My baby was back to back and I was in excruciating pain and a wheelchair with SPD. I refused induction and had a homebirth in water. Everyone responds differently to induction, it depends how ready the baby is and what you'll need to get things going. Then how active you can stay and the 'cascade of interventions' as they called it.

I had gas and air, then epidural with my first and I'm so glad I had the epidural. I was in labour for 36 hours and needed the sleep and completely block the pain.

Second baby was really quick. I had gas and air on the ward from a mobile canister/bottle and it tasted funny and I threw up (wasn't like what I had for my first birth).

Once I was in the delivery room I had gas and air they plugged into pipes in the wall and it was good, did the job but I was only there about 30mins before the baby came.

You might find as it's your second baby it'll come quicker? But everyone I know who's had an induction has told me to ask for an epidural early on as I think it can be quite painful depending on how rapidly it works.
I'd keep your options open.
Good luck xx

TENS machine!!! Absolute game changer for me. No drugs or reactions, and you can just take it off if you don’t like it.

I had petidine and then gas and air , delivered in gas and air . If I was to do it again I'd save the petidine for later on in the labour as couldn't have it again my labour went very quick and didn't have time in the end for an epidural but the gas and air for me was magic I don't remember any pain delivering my baby in fact I've holes in my memory from it but for me was a positive experience glad I didn't have an epidural

I hated gas and air it made me vomit, pethadine made me completely out of it but not in a good way because I could still feel pain but didn't feel like I had any control. Personally for me the epidural saved the day but I had been labouring a long time and baby was back to back so was utterly exhausted and needed a break.

Hi
I won’t tell you my birth story because it was horrific and I don’t think it is helpful. However I had in my mind I would only do gas and air and like you had decided no epidural. However I can not even begin to explain the pain, my contractions were back to back with no break, the jabs to slow them down didn’t work. I was getting stressed, baby was getting stressed so I had the epidural. It was honestly amazing after being in the most excruciating pain.