Do you feel like a 'cheat' if you have pain relief?

[mumsy4]

I think it depends on the labour. Having had 3 children every single labour has been different from start to finish. My first, I was induced using that godamn awful AWFUL hormone drip. I had every pain relief going, ending with epidural, I suffered a 3rd degree tear and had to have 30 stitches. I definitely dont feel like I cheated in that instance. My other two labours pain relief was minimal, my 2nd none at all as she came at speed and there wasn't time, and my 3rd was a 13 hr labour I did 12 hours on paracetamol and the last hour on g&a to finish with a shot of diamorphine.
I felt very proud of myself in all instances but knowing what I know now, how I can cope with pain, if this labour ended with an epidural, I think I definitely would feel like I cheated.

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[Iwant3]

congrats

with my first I was induced so contractions had no time to come on naturally and bloody hurt! I had pethadine and then an epidural - and so glad I did tbh!

with my second I had decided already that I wanted another epidural - and got to hospital already 5cm with regular contractions - they said they thought I would be fine without an epi and to carry on......I ended up in water due to back pain and had a water birth - with not even a sniff of gas and aid.......glad I did and do feel proud for doing so.

but at the same time would never judge anyone who dose have pain relief as each birth is different and each person copes with pain differently - and you do what is best for mum and baby at the time.

like said before you get no medals for braving out the pain - so why suffer?

oh and hospitals have statistics they need to stick to with epidurals so may not be too keen to offer then if they numbers are already high the month you are giving birth

 

[kellylou]

Personally I didn't feel like a 'cheat'. When I discovered I was pregnant I was adamant I was going to have a natural delivery, was against epidural and wanted a water birth, this changed and I ended up writing my birth plan stating I wanted to be midwife advised after all I had never done this before. After having a very painful sweep which ruptured my membranes I was admitted to hospital at 40+5 and induced due to the bleeding. My labour was intense as I was being induced and I found myself asking for pain relief, gas and air, pethadine, epidural. I had the lot then had what one person referred to as the ultimate 'get out clause' an EMERGENCY c section.

Basically after all my waffling I didn't feel cheated until people made me feel cheated if that makes sense??

 

[aliciabubba]

I didn't feel like a cheat either! I had an Epi, then ended up having an emergency c section because baby was stuck! Contractions bloody hurt so I wanted anything to numb the pain! I'm a wuss with pain! X I'd do it all over again for my baby xx

 

[Karate Kid]

I also had a back to back labour. I got to 10cms with gas and air and breathing techniques with little worry about the pain. Then baby rotated himself 2 mins before I started to push and tried to come down face first.

The pain was sooo unbearable I thought I was going to quite literally loose my mind - I too would have happily shot myself. So I had to literally beg for an epidural at 10cm and I'm so pleased I got it because I ended up in theatre needing ventouse, foreceps and an episiotomy, only just missing the need for a c section.

The point is, the situation can change from being fine and manageable to an emergency in a matter of minutes and therefore you need to be in control of yourself to be able to do the right thing at the right time, pain relief for me was the only thing that allowed me to do that and avoid a more difficult out come.

Cassius was back to back too, I got to 6cms by using breathing techniques and the I was in most unbearable pain imaginable! I opted for an epidural and it was amazing. Thank God I had one because I ended up having an episiotomy and ventouse.

I firmly believe that it is a females choice to have any method of pain relief and it does not by any stretch of the imagination make you a wimp . labour is tough hence the name.

 

[tiaflame]

Well if labour is anything like kidney stones I want everything going!!! Despite previously not wanting anything lol xx

 

[Little_angel]

Strangly I do think people feel this way, although they shouldn't. I noticed with interest at my NHS antenatal class yesterday that to one person admitted to wanting an epidural when the midwife asked, despite one person telling me she was having one when we were chatting.

I don't feel that it's cheating at all and I will keep an open mind, but I don't think an epidural is for me. It's not the idea of pain that bothers me about labour, but loss of control, ability to move, increased risk of interventions and c-section and having to stay in hospital longer. It's all about personal preference.

 

[BunnyN]

Strangly I do think people feel this way, although they shouldn't. I noticed with interest at my NHS antenatal class yesterday that to one person admitted to wanting an epidural when the midwife asked, despite one person telling me she was having one when we were chatting.

I don't feel that it's cheating at all and I will keep an open mind, but I don't think an epidural is for me. It's not the idea of pain that bothers me about labour, but loss of control, ability to move, increased risk of interventions and c-section and having to stay in hospital longer. It's all about personal preference.

That's exactly how I feel.

 

[knopk@]

Just to make sure you guys understand,.epidural increases chances of instrumental delivery bit DOES NOT increase chances of c-section.
I am glad i.was offered an epi.due to raised blood pressure on admission. By 6 cm i was begging for it
And you can have mobile epidural,.i.was able.to.move and felt my legs,.was able to try different birthing positions etx. Not all.hospitals have it though
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[MrsR]

I didn't have pain relief with either of my labours/births but if I had needed it I wouldn't have hesitated! And I wouldn't have felt like a cheat if I had needed it. I also wouldn't look down on someone who opted for pain relief and think they had 'cheated' but I do find that a lot of women beat themselves up if they had pain relief or a c-section.

 

[BunnyN]

Just to make sure you guys understand,.epidural increases chances of instrumental delivery bit DOES NOT increase chances of c-section.

I think that is something that is still widely debated and may be hard to get a proper statistic on.

 

[Little_angel]

Just to make sure you guys understand,.epidural increases chances of instrumental delivery bit DOES NOT increase chances of c-section.
I am glad i.was offered an epi.due to raised blood pressure on admission. By 6 cm i was begging for it
And you can have mobile epidural,.i.was able.to.move and felt my legs,.was able to try different birthing positions etx. Not all.hospitals have it though
Tapatalking so cant see signatures

Thanks. You can't have a "walking epidural" at my hospital. Completely numbness and lack or mobility for the waist down is the only option.

 

[Samsgirl]

epidurals are amazing when you have laboured a long time...cos you need one to be able to get any kind of sleep...

 

[BunnyN]

epidurals are amazing when you have laboured a long time...cos you need one to be able to get any kind of sleep...

yeh, at a certain point I can see how that could be important. I'm just hoping never to go through a labour like yours Samsgirl!

 

[Seabrook]

I think if I am induced, I might, might have an epidural.
If I go into labour naturally, I hope to have a water birth with just gas and air.

Most of the women who I know who have had diamorphine or pethidine, they babies have come out doped up and needing help getting breathing.

 

[Jayjay027]

Most of the women who I know who have had diamorphine or pethidine, they babies have come out doped up and needing help getting breathing.

That was my main concern when I had diamorphine but my dd was absolutely fine and didn't need help breathing x

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[Lolly85x]

Most of the women who I know who have had diamorphine or pethidine, they babies have come out doped up and needing help getting breathing.

That was my main concern when I had diamorphine but my dd was absolutely fine and didn't need help breathing x

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Snap!!! I was totally against the morphine injection for those reasons. But I had one an hour after having my waters broken and the drip administered. And I was fine and my baby was fine. I think it's about when on labour it's given. The morphine injection really helped me in my labour.
I'd never be induced again without a high level of pain relief like morphine and epidural xx

 

[Little_angel]

It's my understanding that that is right Lolly, it's about when it's given. Pethidine and diamorphine (the morphine derivatives used in labour) are metabolised by our liver in about 6 hours. It crosses the placenta, so the baby has it too for the time it is in our body, but once our liver metabolises it, it's gone from both of us. If baby is born before it is metabolised, their liver can only process it very slowly, so they will be sleepy for a lot longer.

Knowing this info has made me more amenable to the idea of having it, if I have a long early labour that seems to be going nowhere and I need some sleep. But I will try and avoid it closer to the birth.

 

[redbear]

I think that i got a lot of shitty comments and looks because i didnt have epidural - when people have asked i just say i had gas and air (because it was so fast) and they get nasty and will say 'i took everything whats the point of been in pain' it makes me mad i agree with them but there wasn't time for me to have anything grrrr. Plus it didn't hurt on gas and air because it was over before i knew it!

 

[knopk@]

I think that i got a lot of shitty comments and looks because i didnt have epidural - when people have asked i just say i had gas and air (because it was so fast) and they get nasty and will say 'i took everything whats the point of been in pain' it makes me mad i agree with them but there wasn't time for me to have anything grrrr. Plus it didn't hurt on gas and air because it was over before i knew it!

They are just jealous. Lol.
I am not in.any way ashamed of getting an epi, i couldnt have coped without it.
If people can get through without pain relief,.then great, costs less money too

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