Paracetamol in labour - does it help?!

[minimoonumbertwo]

For all those who have experienced labour before, i think you can take paracetamol when you go into labour - did you and do you think it helped at all?

er no. Definately not. It's like trying to lift a piano with a pencil imo

My mw suggested 2 paracetamol and a bath and to be honest, neither did a darned thing. I really won't be bothering this time round.

it might take the edge off the first few twinges and cramps, but not for full blown labour in my experience

a bath or TENS machine or massage and staying mobile are probably more helpful.

You can but it probably won't do much. I was under the care of a no-medical-pain-relief birth centre and asked the midwives if I could take paracetamol when my contractions started and the midwife just smiled and said "Feel free to take a couple but it isn't going to touch what you are experiencing."

She was right.

It's a specific type of sensation when you get contractions, not a constant pain thank goodness, but they are too intense for paracetamol to really make a difference. The good news is that usually you get no pain and the chance to rest and gear up again between them.

somewhat less that shouting out "GIVE ME SOME PROPER DRUGS YER BASTARD"

No, I think the psychological effect might help some, but agree with the piano/pencil analogy!

You'd have to be in very early labour - like period cramp/backache stage, not quite sure if this is it - for it to make much odds. Labour itself is a very specific type of pain.

Thanks everyone - that's exactly what i thought you would say! Seems like a funny thing to reccommend, like you've got a headache or something....think i probably won't bother!

not one bit. nada.

I was having contractions every 5 minutes after my waters broke and mw's gave me 2 paracetamol and said go to sleep!!

Now gas and air, not very nice tasting but it does the trick of taking some of the pain away

During my first labour, the early phase was very long and drawn out but tbh although I was in pain, it wasnt unbearable. More like period pain/backache.

I did the paracetamol and bath thing and it did help however once labour became more established the effects wore off.

My subsequent labours were very fast and contractions were really strong from the off. A bath and paracetamol wouldnt have touched the sides.

Oh, bless.

No, sweatheart, paracetamol will not help with pain in labour.

I was offered one after delivering DS1, though.

Not as much as the epidural

tbh I think many midwives like you to progress through their pain relief repertoire in an orderly fashion: bath, paracetamol, pethidine, entonox, epidural. Those of us wishing to skip the useless bits and minimise our agony are somewhat frowned upon

If you keep them down for a very short amount of time, they come back up in tablet form. You might be able to hit the midwife in the eye with them on the return journey. Laughter is good medicine.

nope.

water worked foe me but only a big pool full, the bath made me very uncomftable.

I've always wondered why they bother telling you to take paracetamol. Ok, I've never been in labour, but I have been in excruciating agony with 2 burst ear drums and infection, a poisoned wasp sting that caused all the lymph nodes in my body to swell for weeks and also a miscarriage- all exactly the same rocking, foot stamping involuntary tears pain and paracetamol did naff all (but all at eseparate occasions in my life). The docs really umm and ahhed about giving me codeine for one of the above and it didn't touch it either! I'm hoping that labour pain will feel more productive, but I fail to see how something that sometimes fails to shake a headache will help with labour!

I wonder if past experience of pain will mean I'll be less shocked by labour pain?

I remember when I phoned the labour ward to ask if i could come in as contractions had started. for some bizzare reason when i started with the period type cramps, i had taken one paracetamol (wasn't sure if i could take them...so was hedging my bets) and the MW said, quite patronisingly, well dear, one won't do much good, you should take two.....as if taking two made any difference to proper contractions!? About as much use as a handbrake in a canoe......

Errr.....NO

They do but only in very early labour, it's the same as asking will paracetamol do for a migrane, well no but for a simple headache...

Although that was the only pain relief i got with DS1 apparently i wasn't really in labour!

Paracetamol works a treat alongside opiates. so if you're having pethidine or an epidural tthe paracetamol complements and enhances the effects.

The thing is, Eccentrica, by the time I got pethidine or an epidural I had already been through several hours of pretty severe pain, with only 2 paracetamol doing sweet FA.

I am sure the paracetamol does enhance the effect of the opiates, but it's kind of a topsy turvy logic, isn't it?

imagine fighting off an angry rhino with a badminton racket.....

But it's okay, because the badminton racquet will enhance the effect of the AK47 you use later

About as much help as an elastoplast on decapitation.