Pain Relief

[dannii87]

OK, so my pregnancy is drawing to a close and labour is getting ever closer!

So... I'd like your personal experiences of the following pain relief please!! I don't even know exactly what they do or anything, I really am NOT clued up at all!

TENS Machine: For some reason, (having never tried it), I don't "trust" the natural pain relief? I just can't get my head around the fact that something gives you an electric shock and it's supposed to take the pain away?! (I don't ACTUALLY know what it does!!)

Water: How does it help? At what stage did you find it most useful?! (And anything else useful you can add!)

Epidural: Now I know this is a big needle that goes in your back. Does it hurt? What does it ACTUALLY do?!

Pethadine: Heard about it but have no idea what it is!

Pesseries(sp?): What are these and how do they work?

Gas & Air: Does it make you feel sick? How does it help?! Can you use *too much* of it?

Diamorphine: LOL I missed this off my list (Thanks Sharne )

(If there are any other forms of pain relief that I've missed, please advise!)

Thank you ladies! Sorry for the dumb questions. I should really have looked this up a while ago... I just want to be informed of all the pain relief they may or may not offer me. I've heard some of it can make baby drowsy etc.

xx

 

[Steelgoddess]

Sorry can i be cheeky and add Diamorphine to your list? Amanda had it and I've not heard of it I don't think...

Good post Danni can't wait for you to have your mite!!

 

[dannii87]

Sorry can i be cheeky and add Diamorphine to your list? Amanda had it and I've not heard of it I don't think...

Good post Danni can't wait for you to have your mite!!

Thanks hun! I've included it (I've heard of it, but have no idea what it is! Most of this stuff I don't even know if it's a machine, injection, where the injections goes or anything!!) xx

 

[LisaJ1986]

I had Gas and Air and pethidine.

Gas and air i gave back after 2 contractions as i hated the way it made me feel. It was kinda like i was drunk, and i hate the feeling of being drunk! I felt completely confused and said some random things. So i told them to take it out as it was just in the way.

Pethidine was an injection in the thigh. I have no idea what it's supposed to do as they gave me it 10 mins before pushing. It takes 20mins to kick in so it didn't take effect with me. It can apparently make you and/or baby sleepy.

So i only really had the mouthpiece off the gas and air to bite on. I was told off for making noise but i felt it helped take my concentration.

Apparently it is rare not to like g&a.

 

[aileendragonfly]

Hi, here's my tiny bits of knowledge on various pain relief:
With my first child six years ago, I was induced and asked the midwifes for advice. They suggested an epidural and it was great. I didn't feel pain and by the time baby Pip was coming some of the epidural had worn off, so I was able to feel the contractions and push without it being to painful. You don't see the needle and I didn't find it painful to be put in. It did make me sick though whenever it was topped up, and it made me shivery.

Two months ago baby Joseph was born, after what seemed like a 3year long labour. Actually it was 3 day.... Pain relief choiced very much depend on your pain threshold. By day two of contractions, it really was very sore indeed. I just really focused though and breathed through them. It keeps you going. Finally I was admitted on day 3. The midwives could only offer me paracetamol (!!!!) and a bath. I took a bath and was amazed that it actually helped a great deal. I was in there for hours topping up the water. It made the contractions seem a lot less severe. I was finally taked to the labour ward and was offered gas and air. I am not into taking drugs and was worried about how this would affect me, but at that point I would have taken anything.

It was really good! It took the edge off and only made me a little lightheaded. But it was worth it. It kept me going til the anesthiatist came and gave me an epidural. This time the epidural didn't make me shivery and only made me sick once! Eventually I had an emergancy forceps birth. The epidural had worn off, the anesthiatist was taking too long, so I shut my eyes, prayed to whoever would listen and put my trust in the consultant (who was excellent). Baby was fine and unmarked and I healed perfectly.

Basically do whatever you feel will work for you. If you are in pain don't feel bad about asking for pain relief. Good luck

 

[charlie84]

I had pethidine and Gas and Air

The Pethidine was injected into the top of my thigh/bum area. I was told by the midwife it would help me relax and sleep through some of my contractions so i wouldnt waste energy in early labour. Personally i didnt like it, all i felt was very sleepy and unable to talk to anyone or do anything. I fell asleep between each contaction however i was sharply woken by the contraction which i felt fully
It can be passed via the placenta to the baby so if you are administered this to close to the birth then your baby may be sleepy for a while after.

The Gas and Air i found really helpful, it really does take the edge off the contraction. I dont think you can have too much of this unless you are constantly using it. But you will only need this when you feel a contraction coming on.
Take in deep breaths when you feel a contraction coming on then stop when you feel it going away.

 

[aileendragonfly]

Just remembered that I also hired a TENS machine from Boots with my first child. I put it on and never realised that it was at the highest setting. Felt like I'd given myself an elecctric shock. I never used again.

 

[dannii87]

Your replies are SOOOO helpful!! I am reading through it all making mental notes...!

xx

 

[badgergirl]

My experiences -

TENS - hated it! I tried it for about 5 hours at home, and on each setting I tried it felt like either needles going in my back, or someone thumping my lower spine. I can't say it gave me any relief, but it was distracting, and having to press the 'boost' gave me something to think about. It was also damn difficult to go to the loo, as I kept getting taffled in the wires and also nearly dropped the unit down at one point!

Meptid - by the time I had meptid, I was 33 hours in, exhausted and in a lot of pain, as Sprog had moved back-to-back. The injection (upper thigh) hurt a lot, and left a massive bruise - I also had another injection to stop me throwing up. I don't remember it giving me much relief for the pain, but it relaxed me enough that I got some patchy sleep (midwife was coming in every 10 minutes to monitor Sprog, as I was in a midwife led unit at this point). I was also relaxed enough at that point to discuss with her transferring to the hospital for the rest of the birth, as I wasn't progressing at all. I don't think the effects lasted very long for me, though, but I put a lot of that down to the fact I was extremely stressed and upset at losing my "perfect" waterbirth plan - I think my body fought it.

Epidural...aaaah! I'd always said I didn't want one, but because I had to move to the hospital anyway, it seemed like the right idea at that time. I made it difficult for myself though as I refused G&A while they put it in, so had to be pinned to the bed to stop me moving so they could site it correctly. It didn't work as fast as I'd expected (but my perception of time was screwed) and I had to send OH to get me topped up every 90 minutes. I could snatch some sleep, though, and I felt "normal" again, which helped me mentally. On my third top up though I did lose some sensation in my legs, and I started shaking.

In the end, I had him in theatre with forceps, but I had a full spinal block in case I needed an emergency c-section.

At the time, go with what feels right for you THEN.

 

[MummyJess]

I've had 2 water births and could not recommend it more highly. Obviously it does mean that you can only use gas and air as well but I coped fine with just that.

I got in the water when the contractions were regular and i couldn't cope with the pain alone anymore. It's best to wait untill you are in full swing as it can slow labour.

The water supports you so well, making it easy to change position when you need to and the warmth is soooo soothing! Think about how relaxed you are now when you have a bath with your big bump and you'll understand!

I delivered into the water both times and didn't need stitches despite 2 huge babies (9lb 5oz and 10lb), which I am sure is due to the water easing them out. I then got out of the pool for the 3rd stage.

The gas and air was awesome IMO, I quite liked feeling a bit out of it, although I did lose a bit of touch with reality for a while (yes, you can overdo it!) However, my sister hated the feeling it gave and just usedf the mouthpiece to bite on.

My oldest child was induced early as I had pre-eclampsia so they made me have an epidural in case of emergency. I personally wouldn't have one again as I couldn't really feel the conbtractions so had to rely on the midwives to tell me when to push. Also, I hated not being able to move around during labour. However, it did completely get rid of the pain so if you are nervous of the pain then it may be right for you.

Hope some of this helps and sorry for the essay!! By the way, my labours were 6 hours, 4 hours and 2.5 hours so didn't have to cope with the pain too long. Don't know if my feelings might have changed had it gone on for hours or days!!

 

[Sherlock]

OK, so my pregnancy is drawing to a close and labour is getting ever closer!

So... I'd like your personal experiences of the following pain relief please!! I don't even know exactly what they do or anything, I really am NOT clued up at all!

TENS Machine:For some reason, (having never tried it), I don't "trust" the natural pain relief? I just can't get my head around the fact that something gives you an electric shock and it's supposed to take the pain away?! (I don't ACTUALLY know what it does!!)

lol and I don't trust the medical ones TENS delivers electrical impuluses and while it does not actually stop the pain or take it away totally, what it tends to do is detract you from the pain of your contraction. Its like a buzzing on your skin. Where it is positioned means it works where your contractions hurt the most (on your lower back) and you hit the button for it to have its burst as each contraction hits.

I personally found it ok over 2 days of latent labour during the bursts where I had contractions close together and painful. And it enabled me to doze through the nights rather than being awake fully. However I did'nt really like it and took it off after an hour or two of first stage labour proper and made do with breathing techniques and other things.

Water:How does it help? At what stage did you find it most useful?! (And anything else useful you can add!)

Its a great natural pain relief. It takes the pressure off your body and allows you to relax. Its also very kind to baby in there. You can float around and become pretty weightless obviously and thats the key. Also the warmth of it helps. It really does aid first and second stage and I'd recommend it to anyone in labour. I loved my pool and spent 5 hours in it before the second stage. It was pretty much all I needed and during each contraction it really did help to lay back and float around and take all the pressure off myself.

Also when using it I relaxed, breathed as I needed to and opened my palms and so on. All things that help labour and relax you and allow you to open up so to speak.

Pethadine: Heard about it but have no idea what it is!

The main thing you should know is it is a drug that crosses the placenta and can have side effects for the baby making them slow to respond after birth and sometimes cause them to have breathing difficulties. It is a drug that needs to be given early on to have time to wear off from baby before being born. If its given too late it either a) won't be of any use to you as pain relief and b) can affect your baby. Consider this may make bonding, first skin on skin and early breastfeeding problematic.

As pain relief goes, not every hospital offers it.

Gas & Airoes it make you feel sick? How does it help?! Can you use *too much* of it?

Entionx. Decent stuff I found. It made me feel quesy the first time I breathed in it, but my MW explained how to use it better to get a good pain management from it and it worked. I used it once my contractions were nearing their peak (I was 7 hours into labour by this point) and then took a deep breath of it and then took the mouthpiece out to breath down from the contraction and did the open palms etc. I never took it as soon as a contraction began. Never needed to. I just used it the bare minimum to take the edge off. It makes you feel a bit light headed and again does not take the pain away, just really relaxes you so you don't mind Works well if in water also. Those two combined got me through about 2.5 hours.

Ensure you sip water throughout if using this as you will become hoarse from it.

(If there are any other forms of pain relief that I've missed, please advise!)/quote]

Not pain relief but all good for aiding labour.

a) Stay mobile and upright for as long as possible. Don't lay down to push etc as its the most painful position to be in. Of course if you have an epi this is where you will be regardless. If you sit on your tailbone it can make labour slower as it kind of blocks the natural shape the baby will come down.

b) Use the stairs to lean on and put one foot up a few steps and the other on the ground and lean forward during contractions. Opens your hips and pelvis and eases pressure on you there.

c) Work with gravity during the pushing stage. Standing and then squatting down to push really works. Can use Entinox then also. I pushed Galen out in 36 minutes second stage and delivered my placenta natually about 15 minutes afterwards the same way.

d) Think positive. Build up a tolerance to the early contractions and don't focus on the pain. Then it becomes more painful. Know each contraction is one step closer toy our baby.

e) Eat a decent meal in the first stage (even if you throw it up later). It gives you energy. Snack in first stage also. Drink water and Lucozade. Avoid OJ.

Did you attend your ante natal classes on all this? Labour and pain relief options? They should have covered all of those and given you info on some of them to read up on. Also covered breathing techniques and massage.

 

[poppy160]

I had Pethidine, Co-Codomol, a failed Epi and then G&A

I had pethidine when I was admitted to the delivery suite at around 10pm, I'd been contracting for a good few hours beforehand but still only 1-2cms dialated, which was what I was the morning before when I had my sweep. It made me very sleepy, but didn't do anything for the pain.

I also had a bath, but the water didn't cover my bump so it didn't have any effect - But it was relaxing and I dosed through a few contractions.

Co-Codomol was given about 5am the next morning, they discovered baby was back to back so the birthing ball was advised. I found the Co-Codomol nice, and bouncing on the ball was a good distraction.

I had an Epi when I got to 3cms at about 9am, it only worked on my left side but my legs were numb. I would never advise against it, it's more than likely gonna work for you, but there's that small chance it won't.

Had G&A a few hours later when I was about 7cms and I loved it. It was the calmest part of my labour, I loved lying there feeling drunk without the sickness and making up rediculous songs in my head. Like others have said, it doesn't take the pain away, it just takes the edge off.

Good luck!

P.S - Pessaries are inserted into the vagina to induce labour, they're not a form of pain relief

 

[Squiglet]

TENS Machine: Didn't have it, MW thought I would electrocute the baby
Water: does a bath count? ...didn't work for long, I couldn't move around properly and I had to keep lifting myself out of the bath to allow the mw to check the baby every 15 mins so I never got to relax.
Epidural: I got a nice swash of fluid as they put the needle in and never got anything else.... It was too late after that
Gas & Air: don't exist in Spain.
Pethidine: can't have it
Diamorphine: doesn't exist in Spain.
Apparently I got valium near the end to help me relax and dilate... Didn't think you could have it when pregnant.. but then pethidine is worse.. so meh..!

But screaming I WANT TO GO HOME got me through having lil miss...

 

[purple13]

my birth plan was to use as little pain relief as possible. however, i was induced, so i went into labour with an open mind and am glad i did!!


TENS Machine: really useful in the early stages of labour (the first 4 hours or so after my induction actually started working). i found it annoying when the pain got intense though.

Water: i would have loved a water birth but induction blew this one out of the water

Gas & Air: this really helped once the tens wasn't taking the edge of things BUT i felt incredibly nauseous after 5 hours (lol) of it. that's when i moved on to pethidine

Pethidine: didn't make the pain any less - just made me completely incapable of dealing with it. even though connor was born 9 hours after taking it, i still think part of our feeding problems in the early days were down to the placental transfer of pethidine. not to mention the projectile vomiting on my part despite having an anti-emetic. i found out from my dad later that our family "don't do opiates well" - glad he told me that before hand

Epidural: heaven. i didn't feel the needle going in - staying still through contractions wasn't easy but i held on tight to OH and inhaled lots of G&A. the first shot didn't completely take away the pain but it helped. the second shot, half an hour later, was pure bliss and i wished i'd had it sooner. i could still move my legs but couldn't feel a thing. i slept through the last 2 hours of my labour before pushing. no side effects afterwards, and i was home within 14 hours of having connor (not being able to leave hospital asap was my biggest worry - i really didn't want to stay in)

Pessaries: ?? i had the prostin pessaries, but these were to induce labour - not painkillers...

Diamorphine: not offered at my hospital - but judging by the effects of pethidine and in the light of my dad's comments, i wouldn't use it in the future

 

[maybebaby]

I planned on water and gas & air.

Can't comment on the water as labour was too quick to get the pool up.

I hated the gas & air, didn't get offered it until about 7 or 8 cm (guessing...) and it made my mouth dry and made me feel light headed. I managed 2 puffs then did the rest just biting on the mouthpiece.

I found the nicest thing when I was mid-contraction was OH rubbing my lower back, which surprised me as I usually hate to be touched when I'm in pain.

 

[dannii87]

I'm loving all of this!! I'm really shocked at the success rate of the epi, I thought it always took 100% of the pain away every time! EEK, bit scared now as I am half expecting to want it when I'm in that much pain!

I'm imagining excrutiating pain that feels like you're going to die Like a thousand knives stabbing you in the tummy and back during each contraction. - I think that's why I'm a bit worried about what works and what doesn't. I'd hate to expect a really good outcome of pain relief only to find it doesn't work as well as I expected!

It's given me LOADS to think about. I think I'm going to spend this next week properly looking into breathing techniques and stuff. Not that I expect myself to remember them at the time But I think it might help myself to prepare a bit better. I always thought I was prepared, but I'm starting to realise I'm far from it!

How prepared can you be though I suppose?! Hmmm... Thanks again ladies!! Much appreciated advice there! xx

 

[poppy160]

I wouldn't describe it as a pain that makes you feel like you're going to die because you know what's causing it and as soon as the baby is out the pain goes away. To be honest, I'm going to write in my next birthplan that I do not want an epidural under any circumstances because of my experience with it. There's no shame in having one - but I felt quite proud that I got through the pain with the G&A

 

[daftscotslass]

TENS Machine: I didn't find it pain relieving, it was a distraction. When in established labour it annoyed me so I didn't use it.

Water: Didn't use water in labour as I was monitored constantly.

Epidural: Never again. I was repeatedly persuaded out of it and they eventually gave in when I was having long contractions every 60-90 seconds. Totally impossible to sit still and the spaces between my vertebrae were a funny shape apparently so was told after an hour that the anaesthetist was giving up and I'd have to go without. He also managed to puncture something he shouldn't (the membrane surrounding my spine) which meant that fluid leaked out and gave me the WORST headaches I have ever had in my life. Felt worse than giving birth. The ONLY relief was lying flat on my back so that was how I spent the next almost 48 hours until they did an epidural blood patch (basically plugging the hole they made with blood from my arm - lovely!). Odds of this happening are 2-3% so it's worth reading up on. Here's a picture of my back following this nonsense if you're feeling sadistic! http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/daf ... booboo.jpg

Pethadine: Wasn't offered at our hospital.

Pesseries(sp?): Never used.

Gas & Air: It didn't make me feel sick at all, just like going from zero to pished in 10 seconds It made the pain almost like an echo... breathe it in when you feel a contraction coming on. It makes you woozy so that by the time you realise you're in pain the pain has gone (if that has makes sense). Loved it loved it! They threatened to take it away at one point because they were worried I wasn't getting enough oxygen It's not like the other forms of pain relief - if you don't get on with it it wears off in seconds and it doesn't affect the baby. I didn't get on with the mouthpiece though - they let me use a mask and it was fabby. If only to bite on while pushing

Diamorphine: I refused it (repeatedly) but the person opposite me had it in late labour - early enough that the baby got a hefty dose of it too. He slept solidly and she actually had to be woken to feed her baby many hours (more than 12) after returning to the ward.

 

[Happybunny]

Gas & Air - Great stuff! I managed on it for hours. It didn't take away the pain as such, but I was so light-headed (like being drunk) that I didn't even ntice the pain. I just kept falling about laughing.

Diamorphine - had this after several hours of gas and air and needed something extra. waste of time. just made me sick and feel REALLY drunk and did nothing to ease the pain.

epidural - FANTASTIC!!!!!! Took 20 mins to site, I had to sit still, but I managed ok. Wasn't painful when they popped it in - I felt a pin prick and a cold rush of fluid. It numbed one side of my abdomen, so they topped it up and then all of my abdomen was completely numb! Woo! I was in this blissful state for hours. My legs were unaffected, so I could wiggle about and change positions. They topped up my epi during my ventouse delivery and I never felt a thing. I would have a labour with an epidural 100 times over.

btw - the pain can get intense, but I was surprised how well I coped with it. I was so excited about the baby coming that I almost relished each contraction!! You'll surprise yourself too!!!

 

[Sherlock]

I'm loving all of this!! I'm really shocked at the success rate of the epi, I thought it always took 100% of the pain away every time! EEK, bit scared now as I am half expecting to want it when I'm in that much pain!

I'm imagining excrutiating pain that feels like you're going to die Like a thousand knives stabbing you in the tummy and back during each contraction. - I think that's why I'm a bit worried about what works and what doesn't. I'd hate to expect a really good outcome of pain relief only to find it doesn't work as well as I expected!

It's given me LOADS to think about. I think I'm going to spend this next week properly looking into breathing techniques and stuff. Not that I expect myself to remember them at the time But I think it might help myself to prepare a bit better. I always thought I was prepared, but I'm starting to realise I'm far from it!

How prepared can you be though I suppose?! Hmmm... Thanks again ladies!! Much appreciated advice there! xx

Its far from the kind of pain you are imagining. Its really not. Its not sharp, its like a crescendo, a wave. It builds up, peaks, then goes down. I felt it in my lower bump, pelvis and lower back. It really is bearable even though it hurts I found. I certainly wasn't even close to wanting any more pain relief than G&A and the water. And the second stage of actual pushing was a positive pain as I could finally do something about it and push. I think the first stage feels worse because you can't do anything except wait them out so to speak.

I'm one of those that rationalises pain. If I know what is causing it I can deal with it better than an unknown cause. I was this way with labour. Next time I'd go without the TENS and simply labour longer in the water if I needed it and use the G&A. Of course if I got into difficulties and needed more then I'd have to go to hospital and chances are I'd be too late for an epi then anyways.

If labour is straightforward I'd say its really not that bad. Being mentally prepared for the eventual pain is good. And tbh I think it makes it more bearable. I'd say I've had back pain that is more excruciating than labour. Certainly more severe and long lasting.