Pain relief in labour

What did you use for pain relief in labour? What side effects did you have (if any) and would you have it again? What would you do differently in a subsequent labour for pain relief?

First I had the gas... it actually spaced me out heaps and made me crack up laughing in the beginning!! But it only really took the edge off the pain by making me feel completely high... Everything happening around me seemed very unreal.

Later on I had an epidural. It did take the anaethetist 2 attempts to get it in my spine properly, but the pain was actually a welcome distraction from the contractions.
It was brilliant. After about 15 minutes I couldnt feel any pain at all... sweet relief!! I could still feel my legs, though they felt very heavy, and I was able to roll from side to side. I found if I stayed on one side too long it seemed all the anasthetic would drip down that side, and the upper leg side would start hurting again... so I kept on turning over regularly.
I did not get the feeling of needing to push, but at that time I did feel little bits of extra pain breaking throught the numbness.
When the midwife told me to push, I could sort of feel what I was doing, but I could not feel the baby coming out.
I had been warned that with an epidural comes a higher rate of assisted deliveries... however, I had no troubles pushing Aidyn out, and it only took me 20 mins to do so!! and I was very pleased because I didn't tear either...

In a subsequent labour I have no qualms about having an epidural again.

Kameron - I had pethadine and just as that kicked in my best friend rang lol so I actually got to chat to her. The pethadine only took the edge of the contractions and found it only lasted an hour and made me really sleepy even though I could get no sleep. It was then followed by an epidural after they broke my waters and was 5cm dilated.

Lachlan - Tried a bath but found I could not get comfy in it so I got out and had pethadine (even though after Kameron's labour I was never going to have it again) Same thing applied made me sleepy but couldn't sleep and there was only about 2 contractions I didn't have to breathe through. That was the only drug I had. I was 7cm and waters were broken very soon after it wore off and 5 mins later I had to start pushing.

Love :smt049

Thanks for this topic Kelly. I was thinking about all these things and wondering how other people were affected etc. It is great to read from 'real' situations rather than from a book!!

I had the gas first, which made me vomit although I continued to use it cos it was a distraction! Then I had pethidine which seemed to dull the pain and made me very sleepy. Then I had an epidural which took away all the pain, but left me pretty much paralysed from the waist down. The anaesthetist was fantastic, very friendly and got the job done very quickly and smoothly. I would try all three again, although I would prefer not to have the epidural as strong!

Bon

I had only the gas with Nicholas as I refused to have an epidural. (a midwife told me of a horror story about them and it scared me to have one done) I didn't really have any bad side effects, the only thing I had was a light head. I felt like I was floating most of the time. I loved it and I will definitley have it again with this one. ;)

Kazz & co \:D/
Nicholas 26/10/02

With Olivia, she came so quickly I didn't get the chance for anything more than a couple of paracetamol!

I was pretty clear that I would like gas, but when I asked for it, the midwife said "Darling, it's too late for that now......." What???!!

So I ended up doing the whole thing on a couple of painkillers adn a couple of drops of lavender oil.

Next time, I will be asking for gas: lots of it, and very early on!

I had Pethadine with Jack and it's in my notes that I can't have it again! It sent me right off my head.....it also made me feel very dizzy and woozy. I don't know what I'm to do next time round as i don't like the gas effect eithor????????

Jo

I had the gas. It didn't make me feel sick/dizzy. I actually felt very happy.
I ended up with an emergency c-section so as they took me to theatre they gave me pethidine, then I had an epidural when i got to the theatre.

(I was like you Kazz - didn't want an epidural, the hospital I went to had paralysed a women doing one a few months before i was there!)

The epidural didnt work so had a general anaesthetic.

For the next 2 days I was vomiting and had really bad migraines. Not sure if it was from the epidural or pethidine they were still dosing me up with.

Nic

I didn't have anything with either of my girls... They tried to give me gas with Alecia, but I threw it, made me feel clostrophobic. I wanted pain relief, but they didn't get itme to try anything else.
With Emily I didn't want any pain relief. And it all happend so fast I don't think they would've had time to give me any.

Tanya

i have only used heat packs and lots of panting for all five kids.
im intending to do the same with this bub!
for something special im going to bring some aromababy massage oil in to really make the most of my last labour and birth.
TDBear

I had absolutely everything!!!

First of all I used the gas and it was helpful during the early stages but as things progressed it didn't help....even though they turned up the mix on it. It just made me feel completely spaced out, but I could still feel the pain, so it wasn't of much use. I had both a shower and a bath, and used the gas whilst I was in both and the heat was good - kind of a distraction I guess and also the bath gives your legs a bit of a rest. I had both an injection of pethidine and then had it via IV drip. The first injection helped, the drip didn't. I then had the epidural and that was great because I could feel pressure, but not pain, and could still move my legs. I then had a spinal block for the emergency caesar and that made me really ill - I vomited three times in theatre! I also got a really bad attack of the shakes afterwards.

I had it all too!! LOL!

I started with pethadine and then some gas & shower, finally the epidural & then spinal block...

with josh i had the gas and one dose of pethadine,

next time im hoping to survive on just the gas, only took the pethadine last time because i was sooo tired and it made me get some rest

LEsley

I asked for an epidural early on as when I was induced the contractions came on very quickly and I anticipated they would become unbearable pretty quickly. While I waited for the anaesthetist, I tried gas but it didn't do anything. The epidural arrived after about 30 minutes and was very welcome...it made me feel calm and relaxed and took away the pain and made the whole process more enjoyable. The rate of the epidural was decreased before I had to push so I could feel the pushing a bit, and the baby came out pretty quickly once I started pushing. I will ask for an epidural again in the hope that my next experience will be as good as the first birth.

I took one breath of the gas it made me feel really funny so I didn't end up having anything. After I had a local so they could do the stitching and then a hot shower and that was it.
Next time around I hope it will be the same but I have been warned to be ready because my labour was so fast.

I had no pain relief at all with either of my babies!

With Sean I was induced rapidly due to very high BP and the contractions were really intense but as it was my first time I kept thinking that "it's going to get a lot worse so I had better not have anything for the pain yet!" Then it was all over!

With Kate things were so much easier and relaxed and I coped really well with the contractions, which were much less painfull than the first time around. Because I knew I could do it without pain felief, I just did it!

I think the most important thing to remember is that everyone is different and you have to keep an open mind! If you really need something, ask for it!!!

I had nothing but a warm bath and some hot water on my back as I was having back contractions. That was of course whilst I was doing it naturally. they did get a bit intense and sometimes I felt like having the gas but I am glad I did it naturally for that period. Then I had the epidural for the casear. As much as I hate to admit it- I actually will have an epidural earlier next time if I have problems because Ryley passed meconium and that is partly what caused so much distress.

I just had gas during Hudsons birth. It made me so off my face it is just not funny, which I wasn't expecting and I actually don't clearly remember a lot of the birth up until they took it away from me lol. I think next time I'd rather try baths and showers for pain relief and see if I can manage with just that as, as bad as the pain was I didn't like the effect of the gas on me, and I think I probably would have coped ok without it.

:bump:

I had gas to start off with. I really wish I hadnt as it gave me a headache. As soon as we got to the hospital, the midwife hooked up the gas and told me "heres the gas so you can use it" so I sort of felt like I had to. I wish I didnt know it was there!
Then I started having a bit of a freak out while everyone was smothering me when I was trying to breath through contractions. I ended up asking for pethidine, which I really regret. It made me feel nauseous, drowsy and dizzy and I couldnt even sit up. It made me feel all spaced out and my vision was really blurry. I have absolutely no memory for about 2 or 3 hours of my labour due to the pethidine. I was still all drugged up when Claire was born and it was really horrible.

Next baby, I want to do it all without any drugs. The gas didnt do anything and the peth just made me feel ill!

I'd had a long prelabour (7 hours sleep in 3 days) and 4 months of pain with an unstable pelvis plus DD was posterior. So I was a bit over the whole thing and kind of forgot about the gas (was going to use that first) so went for the epidural.

OMG I felt like throwing a party and those three hours were the only pain free ones I had in nine months. Seriously.

BIg problem though was that the epidural meant that when I spent 3 hours pushing with my knees against my chest, I didn't feel a thing and didn't realise that was the absolute worst position possible for my unstable pelvis. That set me up for six months of serious pain after the birth.

So would I have an epidural again? Yes, if like last time I was really at he end of the road. BUT I would instruct the midwives that I should not be pushing in positions that are bad for my pelvis and to instead take me for a caesarean. Six weeks of caesarean recovery versus the six months of hell I went through - no brainer.

I was induced.

I had pethidine. But if I had my time again I wouldn't have bothered. It didn't seem to do anything to alleviate the pain. I requested pain relief when I *thought* I was probably about 3-4cm, but actually I was just hitting transition. Not long after I got the shot I started to feel the urge to push. When I asked for it I had become disheartened and lost confidence in myself (actually I told DH I wanted an epi and he said 'why don't you see how you feel in an hour?' - good man!), which is a common sign of transition, I wish it had occurred to me at the time! But of course I was too busy thinking I was about 3 cm and that I was never going to make it lol. Thank God it had occurred to DH that I was in transition!

I tried the shower - that just meant I was not only in pain but also wet! I don't think it was enough to take the edge off those hard and fast contractions that come with an induction, especially with my waters broken.

I also used a tens machine. Hard to know whether this was effective because I have nothing to compare it to.

Just gas.
I didn't use it until I got to the hospital at 8.5cm dilated, so only used it for the last few hours.
Honestly, it didn't do much. I didn't feel any effects (although they did only put it on the lowest setting to begin with), and it really only helped me with my breathing. For that reason alone, I would use it again.
I also used it after giving birth for when I was given locals before I was stitched up.... it spaced me out then.
Hoping to either go without drugs or just with gas again this time.

Niadla, try asking for 100% oxygen then if you want something to help focus on your breathing. Helps some of my clients without using the gas. The older machines have a lever to alter the percent of gas to nitrous.

I didn't have any, though I do clearly remember at one stage saying to myself, 'Right, next time I'm having an epidural' :lol:
I won't though. I really don't want to dampen that amazing, orgasmic feeling right afterwards when the pain just stops and wowee, there's your baby. I've never felt anything better, like an explosion in my chest. (Ummm, a good one, LOL!)
Gabi, I found the shower didn't do a great deal for me either. Unfortunately the bath wasn't available because it didn't have safety handrails installed yet (the birthing suites had only finished being built a couple of weeks before I went in) so I might try that next time. It's sad but all I could think about was how much water I was wasting by being in the shower.

With my first baby I had gas and the "minimum" of pethidine. The gas didn't do anything... in my misspent youth I used nitrous oxide recreationally so i was used to it... immediately cranked it up to the maximum on the dial... nothing... the midwives told me I had to co-ordinate them with my contractions but because they had given me sycotin to make my labour stronger I didn't have regular contractions... it was all just one contraction :( It was shocking... the pethidine just make the whole thing worse. It made me disengage from the whole situation and just lie there wanting to die... i lost all ability to focus on pushing... which led to me having a vacuum extraction... it was horrible... probably all because of the bloody syncotin which I don't know why they gave me in the first place. My baby wasn't under any kind of stress.... i just wasn't labouring fast enough for their schedule grrrrrr! I certainly now understand the domino effect of intervention! make one change and it just leads to more and more.... I should have learnt my lesson... well, infact I kinda did because:

...with my second baby I had my own ob who I trusted and who was more reluctant to use intervention (yes, a rare breed indeed!!!). He wisely reminded me that I didn't like gas last time so it probably would be better to avoid it this time. I was still given syncotin but a much smaller dose... so my contractions weren't all ontop of each other. I actually experienced having a brief breaks in between contractions, what a novelty! And because of this I wasn't in panic mode as much (also this was because I had an excellent midwife who actually stayed with me for most of my labour... giving me lots of suggestions for an active labour and back rubs when my DH became exhausted... SHE was the best kind of pain relief i could ever imagine!!! Because it was still quite a long labour I requested pethidine but not until much later... I probably could have done without it in retrospect. This time I was lucid enough to actively participate in the pushing phase which was sooooooo much better than just lying there feeling like I was dying. Also having a great team of people who spoke to me kindly and with encouragement... having a positive "vibe" in the room is a kind of pain relief as well. So all in all I consider my second birth the "best" of all my 3... probably because it had the least amount of intervention.

My third was a backward step :( Due to a complication my baby had to be induced at 37 weeks. I was dreading the syncotin. Fortunately i had my doula there to support my request to have a MINIMAL doseage... the hospital didn't like that I made that request at all :( They said it wasn't standard procedure... the standard thing it seems is to pump women full of syncotin to bring on a very strong labour... not worry about seeing if the body could simply be "kick started" with a smaller dose. The hospital basically told me they didn't have time for me to labour naturally... I couldn't believe what i was hearing! My baby wasn't in distress... THEY were, THEY were busy that day and other women needed this labour suite. I was horrified they could say this. No wonder so many labours end up in emergency rooms under the knife... it took nerves of steal to deal with this conflict AND labour at the same time. But I did it... who would have thought i could be capable? I had a minimal dosage of pethidine but it didn't make me feel any different. I didn't have much 'good vibe' in the room which made the pain worse... but I got there in the end.

If I had my time again i would have dispensed with the gas and pethidine and just made sure that I had a good midwife or doula with me... THAT's what made the most difference. Pain management is in the head just as much as in a drug. With the right 'vibe' in the room I really think more women could avoid that risky domino-effect of intervention. Distraction can be good... playing the right kind of music, using headphones, moving around, talking, joking, laughing.... this is the kind of pain relief I'd recommend.... and insisting on NOT being hooked up to bloody fetal monitoring!!! (When there is no fetal distress) That makes things so much more manageable.

Chelsea i has Pethadine in early labour to make me sleep and then gas
Jasmine i had gas

This time im praying i can finally get my drug free birth!

DD#1 - Pethadine and gas
Dd#2 - drug free
DD#3 - drug free

Even though i had retained placenta and 3 blood transfusions with DD#1, i felt perfectly horrid after i gave birth. Yet with my last two drug free births, i was walking around, showering 30 mins after they popped out !!!!!

I had a drug free birth but I felt far from in control. I didn't get a break in between my contractions as I was induced and the synto sent my body into overdrive and I had an extremely quick and scary labour/birth.
I'm hoping that I can do this one drug free but be in control. Fingers crossed I don't have to be induced as I might cope better with a natural labour.

I had just gas with both of mine.
With DS2 I was saying to DP "I think I might need something stronger then gas." before I'd even gotten the gas. I doubt I would have gotten anything though since I barely even got the gas he came that fast.

Hot showers, heat packs, walking and hip rocking. Oh and lots of groaning at the end!
Im with bathsheba, fetal monitoring makes it so hard to move and make yourself more comfertable by being active, both my girls were 4 weeks early so I had to be monitored but with DD2 they used a telemetry (portable) CTG so I could walk around the room/ward, stand, rock my hips, sit on the fit ball it was so much better.

i had gas, and apparently a 'half a shot of morphine'. the gas i think ends up being more of a comfort and security thing then anything else.. at one stage, i was just sucking on the nozzle, cause the hose had fallen off, but, i wouldnt give it back till after the contraction had passed cause i still needed to suck.

DS1 - membranes artificially ruptured --> possible meconium (which turned out not to be) --> flat on back with monitor ---> epidural ---> foetal distress --> forceps ---> episiotomy. Sore for days afterwards, hardly able to get up and do things for the first 2 days, pain to have the catheter and have first 3 wees checked.

DS2 - no intervention, positioned myself comfortably, gas only for pain relief. Fantastic experience no pain afterwards, up and around immediately, felt a million dollars, empowered, well, pain free.

My second birth was so much better. If there were to be another one I would go for just gas, or even no gas. The less pain relief the better IMO. Sure, there's pain at the time, but it's manageable, and it's worth it to feel so great afterwards.

I only had gas with my first and was so out of it afterwards that I didnt even notice theyd handed me my son.

Second time round I asked for it but it was too late and Im glad I didnt have it, so much more clear-headed afterwards.

This time Im having nothing again.

#1 - had gas, but was too tired after 3 days of contractions that wouldn't get regular, had epidural - HATED it, had the epi-shakes right up until the birth so I couldn't relax anyway - did not want to do that again ...

#2 - had synto drip and had gas and a shot of peth - gas was ok, but peth made my DD very sleepy and she did not feed properly or clear her lungs with spitting all the mucusy stuff out for a few days - i put this down to peth ... swore I would not do that again

#3 - PERFECT - absolutely nothing artificial - just heat pack - what really p****ed me off was on the birth summary under "Pain Relief" they put heat pack - bollocks :rolleyes:

I attribute alot of the outcome of #3 to being very well informed and knowing what I really didn't want due to previous experiences. You know what, pain relief did not even enter my mind and was not talked about at any time when I got to hospital (1.5 hrs before DS2 was born).

Natural birth was wonderful, I feel privileged to have been able to experience it.

Epi, walking and rocking. The Epi made me weak and dizzy.

Next time with be at home and I intend to walk, rock and generally do what ever feels best at that moment.

At home I had Panadeine Forte as instructed by my midwife. She told me to go take it and try to sleep. I was having full on pain & uncontrollable shaking with every contraction so there was no way that was going to happen.

I got straight on the gas at hossy as I was 6cms. The midwives put it on its lowest setting & adjusted it up as the labour progressed.

I had a two or maybe three shots of peth but it made me feel a little sick so they gave me something to counteract that. It worked.

I had fully intended to get an epi if the subject came up but it never did and it never even entered my head once I got into the labour ward.

The 15 hour labour (2 of second stage) ended with a vac extraction & episiotomy but the peth & gas were enough to get me through it. There was also shoulder dystocia.

I remember feeling quite out of it by the time that all happened and for a little while afterwards.

I had everything on offer, save the peth because I was "too relaxed" (bad me, should have been tense and screaming for it). I was so badly bruised (from the Obs) I had no feeling downstairs for over a week and suffered full incontinence. I was unable to walk or even sit up by myself - I certainly couldn't care for a baby (but within minutes of giving me a baby an hour and a half old I was left all by myself for hours). I was also informed 3-4 hours after coming out of theatre that I'd had a episiotomy; no one had mentioned it to me at the time. I'd been cut up without even knowing. That's what spinal blocks do - they don't remove pain, they remove ALL sensation.

Next time? I'm keeping a gun by my side - in my house. To shoot anyone who even mentions the word "hospital" or "pain relief". I didn't need it with DS (until I had really met my Obs IYKWIM) and I don't need it for any other baby.

for my labour i had 2 forms of drugs. peth (evil stuff, never again): basically this just rendered me completely space-aged. and i couldnt get it together or move for a good few hours. slowing my progress completely. it also provided ABSOLUTELY no pain relief (not that i needed it but that's a whole other thread lol!).

also had the gas on the lowest setting. this helped me in the hour leading up to transition. the m/w took it away from me the moment i hit transition. oh gawd.
the thing about the gas was not so much the pain relief (does it really work? i felt a bit light- headed but that was it really....), but the distraction. i focused on the rattley sound of that the machine made when i sucked in....guess i will take kelly's advice and use only oxygen next time.

i also found distraction and support people to be the best pain relief. honestly. birth hurts, no real way around it, so i found DH and any other person i could talk to or just stare blankly at to be of immense help.

i also took a shower, but the effort of being in there (alone...DH was snoring away on the couch at that stage) and having to hold myself up while going through transition was too tiring and not worth it. and by that stage the urge to push was starting to happen so waddled over to the bed.

next time around my pain relief will be my loved ones. DH, hopefully DD, my mum and a doula.