pethidene

[helle]

i haven't used it myself but I have heard that it messes most people up! I'm sure someone will tell you shortly

[Tinks]

My grandmother has that kind of reaction to Peth and Morphine. Last time she was in hospital the Drs thought she had dementia because she was halucinating on Morphine.

I had Peth with my 1st labour, it didn't reduce the pain at all for me, it jsut made me groggy.

[Manhattan]

All the stories of pethidine scared the crap outta me, so it was in my birth plan that it was definitely not to be offered.

[skybie]

my experience with both with DD1 was exactly the same as urs, hated it!
with DD2 i had nothing because i figured the only other option was an epi, and they scare me!

with the peth i was passing out between cx and literally couldnt be woken, until the next cx anyway

[megs]

Same with me I had Pethadine in my first labour, hated it made me feel groggy, ended up vomiting which then made me dehydrated. Like you he was a posteriour baby, ended up being suctioned out.

With my second labour I knew there was abolutely no way I was going to have pethadine again and I was determined to master the gas (didn't really use properly last time) my second little man was also posteriour but I made sure I started sucking in the gas well and truely before the contraction started and it got me through.

3rd little man, ended up with nothing except the hot water in the shower and it probably worked better than anything

[SweetPea]

I had pethidine after my laproscopy and it really didn't agree with me!! Made me throw up and the room spin out of control, I felt like my head was tipping backwards with the room, and as you said didn't really take pain away, I could still feel the sensation of the pain, in addition to feeling nauseous and throwing up (anisthetic also makes me throw up too). So needless to say I was very adamant about not having pethidine during labour!

[Cassius2]

for me it just made me unable to move or understand what the pain was that i was suddenly experiencing. up until that point i wasnt in pain from the contractions, but after it was injected, BAM, a wall of pain for each one and a brain freak each time. DH reckons i looked calm the whole time but all i remember from that time is panic as i couldnt move my body and i was really really spacey.

[Persephone1]

My Mum had four children and only had pethidine for the labour for her first child. She swore never again. My sister had pethidine for one of her labours and her way of describing it was "like being locked inside your body whilst you go through hell and not being able to tell anyone about it." On that basis, (and on the basis that it crosses the placenta) I decided against it. I used only the gas during my labour, but if push came to shove I would have taken an epidural over pethidine, any day.

Next time, I hope to avoid the gas. For me, it didn't take away the pain, it only helped me focus on something (breathing in the gas) other than the pain. Towards the end it made me lose focus and I wasn't able to think clearly (although that might have been the cascading contractions )

[Cassius2]

"like being locked inside your body whilst you go through hell and not being able to tell anyone about it."

that's exactly how it was for me.