Pain Relief

[lea m]

Well what I want to know is if I have an spi can I still have G&A hahahaha

i did but then i think the midwife was too scared to try to take it off me after my first tantrum
She also said i was only meant to have it as i got a contraction i told her to sod off as i was preparing for the next one

Oh look at that! I cant spell! spi? Its a good job you know what im talking about lol

 

[elaine22]

I just had gas & air and thought it was brilliant. It made me feel really giggly and light-headed at first but it really took the edge off the earlier contractions when I was about 5cm dilated. With the later contractions it dulled the pain a little but mainly made me feel detached from the situation which helped me focus on staying calm, and the mouthpiece was great for biting down on. The midwife said I needed to start taking normal breaths between contractions though as I just kept sucking on it lol. The downside was it makes your mouth and throat very dry so you're a bit hoarse and sore for a couple of days, and it did make me feel a little nauseous afterwards. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[Jade&Evie]

I only used water- I laboured in the bath and got out to push. used a towel to bite down on when i was pushing!

The pushing for me was a huge relief because it was the first time throughout the labour that I felt I was doing something rather than my body doing it for me!

I tried gas and air when they were doing my stitches though and it was fba- apparantly I was asking the middy if she enjoyed sewing up fannys!

 

[sparky]

Bloody hell Sparky & Keira! I doubt I'll go into labour and not have anything at all lol! You brave ladies! x

hey i WANTED drugs i was pleading but it was too late! they tried to give me gas and air but i dropped it and it stayed on the bloody floor!!!!

Keira i went very inward too and didnt want to be touched!!

 

[HideiLu]

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

This is the only one I can comment on

It didn't actually hurt. I was just focusing on knowing it needed to be done for the op and to breathe softly so they could get best angle possible. Think it took them a good ten minutes or so as apparently my spine is curved and ended up having to be laid on my side with some guy holding my knees to my chest, James holding my hand and holding myself in a fetal position!!

The actual needle going in didn't hurt anymore than a blood test needle, and of course you don't have to look! Well, you can't look! And then after, total numbness

 

[JoAnn&Aimee]

Gas & Air - LOVED IT! It makes you very thirsty though, I went through 2 jugs of iced water in 6 hours. It can make you drowsy as well but it does help throughout the contractions. I would reccommend it. I felt drunk though and was talking utter rubbish! I even told my mum her hair looked weird and she should maybe give it a comb!

Pethidine - I couldn't see a difference with this at all. I have no idea if it worked but I didn't feel any better, put it that way!!

Epidural - I said from the start I wouldn't do this as I heard it was a BIIIIG needle and hurts so much. After 6 hours of pain, my contractions being on top of each other and so intense at only 5 cms that I was using ALL my strength not to push I gave up. It turned out that you get a tiny injection to numb the area first which just felt like a scratch, a tube is then inserted into the spine and taped to your back. I had to get it done twice as the first tube kinked and the injection didn't go in. It took effect after about 10 minutes and it was a relief. I managed to get some sleep. However it made me shake a bit though which the midwife told me was normal. I could still move though, never tried walking as I was too tired but I could certainly sit up and move my legs on the bed. The dose I was given before I went into the theatre was strong incase I needed a c-section and it made me shake even more than the original dose. I was completely paralysed from the waist down and I needed a catheter afterwards. I was told that if I hadn't gotten the big dose then I wouldn't have needed the catheter. I wouldn't reccommend ruling the epidural out completely like I did. If I had to beg for it I would have!

 

[Babylicious]

I used my tens machine for early labour and it was fab, at the hospital I had half a dose of epi and then just gas and air (as I dilated from 4 - 10 in less than 8 minutes)

With paris I had everything, loads of epi's, pethedine etc.

 

[Emma58]

I'm afraid i can't comment on any of the forms of pain relief as with both births i never had the opportunity to use any. I'm sure you will be fine though hun Evie might shoot out like a rocket the same as Sam did

 

[Hazel]

Bloody hell Sparky & Keira! I doubt I'll go into labour and not have anything at all lol! You brave ladies! x

hey i WANTED drugs i was pleading but it was too late! they tried to give me gas and air but i dropped it and it stayed on the bloody floor!!!!

Keira i went very inward too and didnt want to be touched!!

Ditto. I really wanted drugs but to late when I got there. Glad I didn't have drugs though as I was very in control and aware of what was happening.

 

[Weez]

I used the tens machine for all of 20 minutes and found it useless - it was a distraction if nothing else but not a useful one!

Once the contractions started getting really sore I demanded pain relief and was initially offerred gas and air, which I wasn't keen on to start off with. Shortly afterwards I got diamorphine which made me feel like i was on a different planet but time passed quickly with it. I was do determined not to suffer that although I wasn't in too much pain I asked about an epadural and when I got it it was fantastic. I didnt feel the injection going in and didnt feel any pain whatsoever afterwards. THe labour suite was really busy and I was hearing people screaming but I was totally relaxed, didnt feel anything for long enough then was told to start pushing. ALthough I couldnt feel any pain I was able to push and managed to deliver Isla with no assistance. Would highly recommend an epidural and will def be going for one again!

 

[Steelgoddess]

I can reply properly to this...

I had the following:

Gas and air: Bloody briliant stuff! Like being completly trollied on a saturday night

Cons: You are not "With it" is FANTASTIC for the first lot of contractions and then doesn't really help with the intense ones, It can make you sick and make your mouth dry, I was veryy sick a little later in labour, it didnt bother me though as I as sick throughout pregnancy so was used to this particualr bout...

Epidural: so much for me not having this. Labour was not fun, similar to Aimee my contractions felt on top of each other and very very intense gas and air was doing nothing and I was barely dialated and in alot of pain from early on/Progression was very slow... I didnt feel the needle, either way im quite good with needles anyway. It took away all pain except pressure.

Cons: My legs felt like too wooden planks the numbness was horrible, i couldnt feel my legs either or my bum for that matter. Although I could rest after this the birth became very "Boring" felt like I was waiing hours the dialate it went so slow, i did get to sleep a bit though.

It has also left with with numbness on a patch of my right leg and my bum, not very nice but I had to have a top up for c sect so that and the fact I was chained to the bed could be why...

 

[Bee]

Just wanted to add my 10p worth

I didn't have any pain relief - I really didn't like gas and air so didn't use it.

 

[moss]

I had a pessary inserted after Jacob was born for pain. I had second degree tearing and the stitches took a very long time to complete, LOADS of blood... but I didn't feel any pain for at least three days. So I guess that was pretty fantastic!

 

[wmakara]

I managed to refrain from any pain relief for 16 hours, after that my husband and midwife was begging me to have pain relief.

I opted for pethadine purely because it would help me to relax more. In fact, I was so relaxed I was having micro naps between contractions - strange but true

I then had an epidural, it doesn't hurt being put in but you have to stay very still so tell them if you feel a contraction coming so they can stop. This is actually very effective as it does numb the area. BUT it is not very effective if they leave it too late to give you it if you are approaching the final stages of labour. This happened to me, I couldn't feel a thing, so when it was time to push I didn't even know when I was having a contraction.

The final outcome was a C-section after enduring 36 hours of labour - oh well!!!!

 

[Chrissy1]

I used a TENS in my latent stage and found it no use whatsoever!!! Every time I gave myself a burst it just hurt so I took it off.

Water was ruddy brilliant.... I really can't recommend it enough. When I was contracting out of the water I was in agony, even in between the contractions, and I was sick too. When I was in the water I was relaxed and just breathing through the contractions. The water helped to ease the weight off my muscles allowing me to relax in between each contraction. It really was the best thing

G&A is also brilliant. I had a two day consistent latent phase followed by an 11 hour labour with an hour and half of pushing and I got by using just the water and G&A. The first couple of puffs are horrible and it made my face go all tingly and I didn't know what was happening. After the first few puffs though you soon get used to it and it really helped to ease the pain and helped me to focus on breathing through the really painful contractions and the pushing. I only stopped using it right at the very end.

The only advice I can give is to save off using pain releif for as long as you can stand it. I managed using just breathing techniques until I was about 7cm dilated and I'm so glad I did because if I'd have used the G&A when I was only 4cm I'd have probably have ended up having to need more pain relief

 

[krissie23]

I started off using gas and air shortly after I arrived at the hospital (I was 4cm dilated). I found it brilliant! It didn't make the pain go completely but really took the edge of it and I felt a lot more relaxed & it definetly helped me cope better with the pain.

I also found keeping active really helped. I moved around a lot and just kept walking around the room... found this helped as well as it sort of took my mind off the pain. I think if I was just laying in a bed I would have just been waiting for the next contraction to come. Everytime I felt one building up I would use the gas & air and keep walking about.

Water was ruddy brilliant.... I really can't recommend it enough. When I was contracting out of the water I was in agony, even in between the contractions, and I was sick too. When I was in the water I was relaxed and just breathing through the contractions. The water helped to ease the weight off my muscles allowing me to relax in between each contraction. It really was the best thing.

I totally agree with this! When I felt like the pain was getting too much, the midwife got the water ready for me & helped me in, and I instantly noticed the difference. Obviously, as with gas & air, it doesn't make the pain go altogether but it helped me with feeling more relaxed and able to cope wth the pain.

The only mistake I made was having pethidine. I really wish I had just tried to manage without it, as I didn't have it til I was 8cm dilated, but I felt like I couldn't cope with just the gas & air anymore at that stage. I hated it though. It made me feel really spaced out & as though I wasn't in control. I actually kept falling asleep, which might sound great coz I wasn't feeling any pain, but I just hated the feeling of not having control over myself & not being able to stay awake! It was the most horrible feeling ever, because I kept drifting in and out of consciousness! Felt soooo weird and I really didn't like it.
This time I want to try and manage with just the gas and air and water. I really thnk it is mind over matter and the more mentally prepared you are for coping with the pain, the easier you'll find it. I want to try different breathing techniques and types of relaxation as I think they will also help me cope better.

 

[berit87]

I only used Epidural. Did not hurt at all for the thingy to be put in. I didn't even feel it, nothing at all. Could only feel something cold when they topped it up. Although I don't really think it helped me at all. It was all still really really painful. But maybe it would've been even more painful without it, I don't know And the doctors say it's the reason my labour was so long (14 hours). Anyway, I would use it again (just in case)

x

 

[Laura_James&Amber]

Gas & Air is the best! I loved it! It doesn't take the pain away but it helps you deal with it better as it makes you feel really drunk! I hadn't had that feeling for 9 months so I quite enjoyed it! Although when my contractions were minute on minute off it didn't help, didn't do a thing!
And as I had to have an Emergency C Section, I had a spinal which was great because I'd had contractions minute on minute off lasting 60 seconds or more for around 6 hours so it was quite a releif to get rid of the pain! It didn't really hurt when it was put in, just stung for a few seconds and then I was numb from my boobs all the way down to my feet!

 

[laetitia85]

Gas and air was brilliant. but it makes you feel dizzy and tipsy!

But for me it only worked when the contractions were mild. It didn't work with very strong contractions.