A question about pain relief for those ladies who have been induced.

[eldraW]

Hey ladies.

Well ive been told i will be getting induced early because i have GD and my midwife said to maybe consider having an epidural for pain relief as the plain can be alot more intense. Now i know that everyones pain thresh hold is different and i know i wouldnt be pushed into anything and pain relief is my own choice but from the very start of my pregnancy i have said i really dont want an epi.

So my question is.... Did u have an epi or did u have any other kind of pain relief? Any advice and help with what pain relief to bare in mind when getting induced would be much appreciated.

Thanks Amy xxx

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Hiya I was induced due to low waters, as there was hardly any water cushioning my contractions they were intense from Monday night til I had her on Thursday morning, I don't think I could have managed the pain of full blown labour with such low waters and they wanted 5 contractions every 10mins with the drip.. I was only 2cm when they started the drip at 3am and she was born at 8:46am.. I opted for an epi before they put the drip in which I was petrified about but it was heavenly!! I was worried I wouldn't feel anything but I felt the contractions like Braxton hicks and I felt very slight pressure when I was 10cm whereas the pressure is usually very strong.. My birth experience was so great I'd gladly do it all again! Pushing her out was easy where I thought having an epi would make it harder as the pain gives you the urgency to push them out! They decided to induce me so quick so I didn't have time to think about what I wanted but I'm glad I went with an epi

Hope that helps xx

 

[eldraW]

Hey thanks for that hun.

One thing that is playing on my mind is if i had an epi and the induction was taking ages to get going or if labour was just been really slow what do they do for when you need the loo because you obv cant move can u? Lol. Sorry if this sounds like a total dumb question but i really need to start thinking about these things. Also ive heard the epi can slow things down, is this true? Xx

 

[Roo3]

The drip will make sure your contractions are regular so don't worry about the epi slowing things down.
Going to the toilet is the last thing on your mind when you're in labour. I was induced and started getting contractions straight away. I had an epi but it didn't work for me. Before I had the epi in I went to the loo but you have to do it in a bowl in the room infront of your OH and your MW!!
Because my epi didn't work, I did it all on gas and air. I wasn't offered anything else and wasn't thinking straight enough to ask for anything else.
Labours when you are induced tend to be quicker as the drip makes sure your contractions are regular.

 

[nikki8092]

Hi hun, i was induced with jake and had pethidine. Didnt have an epidural but im not so sure i will go down same route this time. I have had one natural birth which was bearable and one induced and i would say being induced is more painful but i managed just lol. I would say play it by ear hun xx

 

[LaurenMM]

I swore I would never have an epidural and I planned to use only gas and air but I was getting contraction really soon after the first induction gel - got them about 6pm And by 8am the following morning I'd only got to 2-3cm. I'd had no sleep I was exhausted and in so much pain I had the epidural to get some rest more than anything and it was brill. I had to have a c-section via a general not long after so I can't say how it was for birth but it was brill for me during the contractions x

 

[Jayceesmumma]

You have a catheter fitted which I was also worried about but it was great! Didn't need a poo as I'd been before I went in, and it takes a few days for bowel movements after birth.. Not sure why!
I'd defo have another one if I have another baby!

 

[mum2b410]

I don't think i could have got thru my labour without an epidural but my induction didn't go as planned!..... I had 2 in/out catheterisations and then they left it in.....didn't need a number 2 as went before epi put in!.....It was my first and I didn't want an epi but I wouldn't have been able to have my waters broken without one and would have ended up with a c-section if i hadn't!......It was hard at the end with barely being able to feel contractions but I had the epi in for about 13 hours by that point so that had an impact. Everyone is different but I had said if i ended up on the drip i wanted a epi at least sited before the drip started, then would chose if i needed the pain relief thru it if needed- i didn't get to make that choice in the end but maybe u could consider this...then u have both options? xxx

 

[Nat26]

I was induced and the problem is I went from one minute coping fine with contractions to being bent over in complete agony the next. I had pethadine before the epi, it took the edge of but very soon after I went for the epi, so glad I did as there was no way I would have coped without it - it was very intense. I don't think i helped that Jack was back to back and not engaged when they induced me. They wanted to ramp up my contractions to get everything moving.

All I can say is keep an open mind and if you need it the epi is like complete heaven!! Only problem is mine took a long time to wear off, about 8 hours I couldn't get out of bed and look after my lo so felt like a complete failure as a mother and spent hours in tears.

Good luck for your labour and birth x

 

[Jayceesmumma]

I was immobile for 7 hours after and needed to be wheeled to the ward with baby.. I didn't fid it distressing thankfully I was so tired I think that was the first thing on my mind tbh.. Everyone is different and reacts differently to epi and to birth itself.. I'm sure you'll choose what's right for you defo keep an open mind xx

 

[titch]

I was induced and initially I only had paracetamol for pain relief as I wasnt 3cm dilated but the contracitons were really intense. Its not so much the pain, its just that literally they came every 2 mins from the start and just got stronger and stronger, but took days. I had pethidine to get 3 hours sleep, then they put me on the drip, which is when they basically did push me into having an epidural.

I really didnt want one, I was hypnobirthing and wanted to use the pool but I was backed into a corner really cos they wanted me on continuous monitoring so I had to stay on the bed, the contractions were so much more unbearable when I was lying down and they kept telling me it was going to get really painful. They were looking at me like i was mad for suggesting I wouldnt have one.

Im not sure what I wouldve done if I could go back in time. I didnt feel I needed it for the pain relief, and I never felt what the contractions were like on the drip. I do wish Id had a chance to try to be honest.

 

[Mummy2Adam]

I was induced with Elexia, i didnt have anything until i was about 4/5cm's as i was hypnobirthing then i started using the gas and air, at 9cm due to part of my cervix still not ready the pain was excruciating so i ended up having diamorphine.
Goodluck hunny and just keep an open mind about pain relief x x

 

[eldraW]

Wow i wasnt expecting so many replies ladies so thanks very much.

I must say the replies will defo come in handy as i have found them really interestin.

Thanks again Amy xx

 

[mishi]

I was my friends birthing partner and she was induced. She did hypno birthing and used a TENS machine and then G&A. They did try to push her to have an epi but she really wanted to try without. To make things worse she had had a partial placental rupture so had to be monitored constantly and therefore couldn't move around much. She found the whole thing painful and intense bu she did brilliantly and was soo happy that she hadn't had an epi.
On the other hand, I had an epi as after 43 hours of labouring I needed some sleep and was utterly exhausted! Im not planning one this time, if this little crumpet sticks, but I'd never say never! I think you should go with the flow when it's happening.x

 

[Rachaellius]

I really surprised myself as I have a very low pain threshold. But I held out on any pain relief for as long as possible and then only went for gas and air quite late on. But everyone is different. I'd say to anyone just see how it goes and go for whatever you feel like at the time. I completely shocked myself x

 

[TundraOwl]

Heya, I was induced due to GD as well, I was lucky and only had to have one pessary to kick things off. LO was back to back however so I had a small amount of morphine to relax me and try and get her to turn, and then I just had gas and air I managed fine and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, had a few moments when I didn't think I would cope but I did. Just keep positive and relax, it really does help to relax and just let your body do the work. Hope all goes well xxx