What's the strongest pain medication that can be taken at home once in labour?

[Bathsheba]

Hmmm, not sure, but I personally would advoid taking any kind of strong medication at the start of labour. If you end up needing further medication it could interfere with dosages... what ever you take make sure you tell any health professional who supports you in labour. Say you needed to have an emergency anaesthesia this would be very important.

Non medical pain relief, i have found, works well because it doesn't leave you feeling drowsy. Some strong medications will probably make you want to sleep/lie down... whereas an active labour is usually the best way to go (generally speaking). For me hot water does wonders for pain relief. I'd try that first. A fit ball under a hot shower can really hit the spot once labour is established.

[feeb]

Panadol or Panadeine (panadeine forte if you have a script)

Showers, baths heat packs, massage, music are all great for pain relief at home and in hospital.

Also hire a TENS machine from physio dept.

[Bathsheba]

yep, distraction is a good way to go at various stages... music can be great for this.... persoanlly i found that soft new-age whale sounds etc were NOT helpful LOL I thought it would be the kind of thing I would want to hear but it turned out that it annoyed the cr@p out of me!!! I ended up discovering that wearing headphones with loud, rhythmic techno was actually more useful... oh and Kate Bush... she was great during my third labour

ETA: yeah don't hop in a warm bath until you are in well established...rocking from side to side and groaning kinda labour... often a warm bath can relax you too much and actually slow labour down if you hop in too early.

[~clover~]

Bath worked for me with DD1, but I had to get out, coz my ctns slowed right down.
Shower with DD2 on my back between ctns & on my belly during ctns.

[SamiH]

If contractions start late in the night or very early morning and don't start at 5 mins - more like 15 - panadeine forte is fine - will take the edge off and hopefully let you get a few more hours sleep before the main event when you will need your conserved energy!

Sometimes hospitals policy is if you have had contractions for a day of so but not close but you are tired ... (specially if first time) and are only a couple of cms dilated they will send you home with temazepan and panadeine forte to help you get a couple of hours sleep as first labours can often be looooooong

hope that helps

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Don't take panadiene or sleeping pills if you are 5mins apart or less.
Hospital advised me to go home (nad gave me the pills) not expecting to see me back with both of those and my water broke an hour after i took a sleeping pill. I was high and delirious, extraoridnarily tired for the rest of my labour and i strongly believe that it was the hardest part, coping through the tiredness induced by temazepam.

[Jac]

Thanks. This is second labour for me, first was reasonably quick and drug free but would have loved to relax/sleep a little bit as it started in the middle of the night (before I had a chance to fall asleep) so ended up being awake for 2 days as baby was born mid-morning and I was too pumped to sleep the day he was born (or that night for that matter!). A few hours sleep in early labour, during the night would have been helpful - not thinking sleeping tablet but strongish pain medication. Why can't labour start first thing in the morning after a good nights sleep!

Will ask hospital what I can take when I contact them in early labour anyway but thanks for your replies.

[MrsFabuloso]

First of all try a hot bath. That helped me immensly when I was in propper, established labour. But I also took panadene forte during prelabour. Only once, and only on advice from the midwives. They checked me out before giving it to me too.