How effective is diamorphine in labour?

[Gill09876]

Hi

My second child is due in seven weeks. With my first Daughter I was given gas and air, pethadine and then an epidural.

Could I ask how effective it would be if I was to have diamorphine? What would I still be able to feel in labour. I'm hoping for an epidural again, it's just if things progressed quickly.

Thanks

Gill

 

[MillersMissus]

I had diamorphine with gas and air (even though I wasn't intending to!!) and I still felt everything. I just makes you feel calmer I think. It didn't numb anything for me. If (and that's a huge if!!!) I had another I would definitely have diamorphine again x

 

[JD.Deedee]

I don't know how effective it is in labour but I had it for my stitching after third degree tear along with spinal block and all I remember is the day after it made me itch like mad and that made me mad as hell!

 

[BunnyN]

From what I gather some people love it some people hate it. It can make you feel great, or just kind of sick and dizzyand still in pain. I have a friend who had it during her difficult labour and she loved it. Her baby ended up in distress and had problems breathing when born though which could have been connected to the diamorphine.

 

[JD.Deedee]

From what I gather some people love it some people hate it. It can make you feel great, or just kind of sick and dizzyand still in pain. I have a friend who had it during her difficult labour and she loved it. Her baby ended up in distress and had problems breathing when born though which could have been connected to the diamorphine.

Did she by any chance have the drip too ? as that could contribute to it too...

 

[russellmuscle]

I had it with my first but had an induction which was a very fast painful labour. Although at the time it was a god send and allowed me to sleep but looking back I actually regret it because I can barely remember anything just the stick out things during labour.

This time I went into labour myself and actually put no diamorphine or pethidine. I wanted as natural labour as poss and luckily managed the last part on g&a only.

This time I remember every detail of my labour and healed etc just to same so I'm glad I went without. I think just see how you go as said at the time I loved it just not so much looking back plus I've read can slow labour and make baby drowsy. Didn't in my case. He did sleep but he was jaundice so could have been either.

xxxx

 

[BunnyN]

From what I gather some people love it some people hate it. It can make you feel great, or just kind of sick and dizzyand still in pain. I have a friend who had it during her difficult labour and she loved it. Her baby ended up in distress and had problems breathing when born though which could have been connected to the diamorphine.

Did she by any chance have the drip too ? as that could contribute to it too...

I don't actually know, she could have done.

 

[entre]

I am requesting no diamorphine as last time i felt horrendous for 7 days, barely remebered a thing and could barely string a sentence together!

 

[Cameron2010]

Omg where are you getting given diamorphine in labour?!! Diamorphine is heroin! x

 

[Emily0505]

I had diamorphine when I had my son. Made me very sleepy and even though I was only sleeping for a few seconds or a few minutes at a time, it felt like I'd been asleep for hours!!

XX

 

[BunnyN]

Omg where are you getting given diamorphine in labour?!! Diamorphine is heroin! x

Diamorphine is commonly used for labour in the UK and some other countries. It is closely related to heroin which is a bit of a scary thought but then pretty much any drug given in labour is potentially pretty nasty if you look into it, including the drugs in an epidural. Ideally it is better for the health of mother and baby to have a drug free labour but its good to have options available when they are needed.

 

[russellmuscle]

Any UK hospital if needed. It's given for pain relief either for post surgical procedures, palliative care and labour.

It was given to me injection to the butt. Worked within minutes and I was asleep.

xxxx

 

[Mexico2014]

I have just given birth in December and had this as a pain relief whilst in labour before 7cm and it just took the edge off. However combined with gas and air it's amazing!! I had both of them from 7cm onwards and that's all I needed but you need them both together as it's not really effective on it's on! Hope this helps xx

 

[Starchild]

I had it with my first but had an induction which was a very fast painful labour. Although at the time it was a god send and allowed me to sleep but looking back I actually regret it because I can barely remember anything just the stick out things during labour.

Exactly this. I had the hormone drip to speed up labour and it was excruciating. After having the diamorphine I fell asleep for a few hours which was bliss. But I don't remember being there having my daughter...I remember it happened, but I don't remember being in the moment, the feelings I had, when I seen my baby for the first time.

 

[russellmuscle]

I had it with my first but had an induction which was a very fast painful labour. Although at the time it was a god send and allowed me to sleep but looking back I actually regret it because I can barely remember anything just the stick out things during labour.

Exactly this. I had the hormone drip to speed up labour and it was excruciating. After having the diamorphine I fell asleep for a few hours which was bliss. But I don't remember being there having my daughter...I remember it happened, but I don't remember being in the moment, the feelings I had, when I seen my baby for the first time.

Luckily OH was with me and remembers everything but like that I just remember seeing Jackson being panicky afterwards and then that's it. When I had the diamorphine I went right to sleep which was brilliant but second labour being in the pool and only gas and air at the end was much better. Remember everything. Even what the mws were saying to each other during hand over hahaha.

xxxx

 

[Starchild]

Yes russellmuscle I didn't remember what my handover midwife looked like, the 2nd one.

I went back into hospital with retained placenta and it was her & OH was like hey that's her who delivered baby, and I was like is it? I don't recognise her lol xxx

 

[CLF88]

I'm really worried about pain relief for labour, my first is due in just a few weeks.
I react so badly to most pain relief and even gas and air makes me incredibly queasy, the last time I had surgery the only thing I was willing to take was paracetamol......I had by ear taken off, ear drum replaced and put back on again, I was in agony but felt better than how the pain melds made me feel. Does anyone else have this problem? If so what did you do during labour, how did you cope?

 

[BunnyN]

I'm really worried about pain relief for labour, my first is due in just a few weeks.
I react so badly to most pain relief and even gas and air makes me incredibly queasy, the last time I had surgery the only thing I was willing to take was paracetamol......I had by ear taken off, ear drum replaced and put back on again, I was in agony but felt better than how the pain melds made me feel. Does anyone else have this problem? If so what did you do during labour, how did you cope?

I have a history of bad reactions to medication in general, some just unpleasant side effects but some life threatening reactions too, so I had similar concerns. My mother had 3 labours. One with lots of drugs and the other two without. She says the overall experience was much better without drugs and she noticed a huge difference in the babies too. My brother, whos labour she had been very drugged up through, was very groggy and hard to feed etc after the birth for several days. She also ended up with an episiotomy and forceps delivery because she was too out of it to push well. She took several days to get over the side effects of the medications also and had a long recovery from the episiotomy. Because of these things I decided on a natural home birth with no pain medications. Honestly despite a long labour with my first it was easier than I expected. I loved the fact that I could stay active during labour and was always aware of what was going on which made me feel in control. I loved pushing and found being able to feel the progress and the baby being born a great experience. I felt fine between contractions and fine as soon as the baby was born. I was up and taking a shower shortly after. A drug free labour isnt for everyone and you never know how labour is going to go but there are certainly advantages You might find you do just fine without pain relief. Labour pain is intense but it is really diffferent from other types of pain. You have a good dose of endorphines and adrenaline rushing around your body too. For me the breaks between contractions and being active and in positions that felt right made the pain bearable without drugs. I found my 3rd labour way more intense but I went from 5cm to birth in about 40mins so it was very fast moving. Even so had a tooth abscess the week after found the pain way harder to cope with than labour.

 

[russellmuscle]

I only used G&A at the end of my labour that time as the mw kept offering and then it got time to push. No difference in how my boys were they both slept and fed the same.

Both times I was up showered and dressed soon after.

I think more than anything the adrenalin will see you through it.

With Carter I was at home in the bath with paracetamol and on the ball alot with heat pads and then in the pool at the hospital.

xxxx

 

[Iwant3]

I had this while being induced with my son, I was convinced it hadn't worked and said to the midwife that it hadn't done anything - she then informed me I had been asleep for the last 2-3 hours, which I knew nothing about!

for the first few days my baby boy fell asleep during feeds and would sleep too long meaning I had to keep trying to wake to feed him.

I didn't have it with my next 2 children, in fact I had no pain relief with them