Just wondering what kind of pain medications and side effects everyone used in labour.

Liz - posted on 07/11/2011

i got the epidural with both girls didnt not work for either one of them so i felt everything and i still have back problems from them

Rose - posted on 06/24/2009

Epidural! I slept through all the pain... I couldnt even feel if I was pushing when the time came.

Jess - posted on 06/23/2009

thankyou everyone for all your kind and helpful comments! it is great to see so many people responded. I will consider these options carefully and hopefully not have any problems in my labour.. :-)

Jess - posted on 06/23/2009

thankyou everyone for all your kind and helpful comments! it is great to see so many people responded. I will consider these options carefully and hopefully not have any problems in my labour.. :-)

Megan - posted on 06/20/2009

i had gas and air, pethidine, diamorphine , tens machine, and they gave me something else which i can't remember as i was unconscious for a lot of my labor, i found pethidine amazing as i was able 2 catch 40winks!

Samantha - posted on 06/20/2009

I didn't use anything with two of my deliveries. They had someone standing by for the epidural just in case, but I never needed it. They said that I could have it at anytime, unless it was time to push. The contractions can be intense! I like to describe them as being the worst period cramps you could possibly have. If you can handle that and your labor isn't long, you might not need anything, but if your labor IS long, you can make that choice at anytime.

Gelaine - posted on 06/19/2009

I didn't use any meds, but what i did do is gave birth in water... Warm/hot water relieves pain if you don't want to use drugs.

Guggie - posted on 06/19/2009

Well I used Tylenol PM when my birth stalled so I could get some sleep. It made me dizzy and itchy, as I am sensitive to Tylenol.



I loved the Arnica cream and hot rice socks. They are the only two things that stopped the side ligament pain I was experiencing due to the contractions pulling on scar tissue from previous sports injuries.



The hot water birthing pool was the most amazing thing ever. In fact, it was so relaxing that I had to sadly stay out of it for the pushing stage b/c it relaxed me so much!



When a woman is choosing whether to manage her pain w/ medication or w/ non-medicated methods, the difference lies in the effects on her child. I recommend reading medical journals to learn about the way medications cross the placenta and how they affect the neonate.

Tricia - posted on 06/19/2009

My labor lasted 12 hours total, there was only a little back labor right at the end. Once they said I could push I could no longer feel any of the pain... hell all I wanted to do was push! LOL It was like a natural pain relief!

Even tho I only had back labor for a little while, Im thinking that is why you asked for the epidural!! I seriously think that if I had gone through more then a few hours of that I couldnt have lasted!!

Belinda - posted on 06/19/2009

for my first baby i used pethadine, which made me really spaced out and slowed down my contraction, and gas which made my throw up, i was drug free for my next babies.

Deb - posted on 06/19/2009

I had my first baby 8mths ago. I had a 11.5lb baby (5.24kgs) and only had gas. I was induced after being 9 days late. The gas seemed to work fine for me. I thought about having the epi but decided to opt for the gas only. I realised after the birth, that i really didnt need an Epi so i was glad i decided not to have one. The gas made me feel really dreamy and dopey at times, but i was still fully aware of what was going on around me. Was still able to walk around. Just took the edge of when having contractions. Depends what your tolerance for pain is. Everyone is diffrent. Goodluck

Charlotte - posted on 06/19/2009

To start with I used the Tens machine. It worked good for a while, but it was useless when my contractions got stronger. I also took Codein while using the Tens, which made me sick. When I was in established Labour I had 2 lots of Pethadine and used Gas and Air. The only thing that went wrong when I was on those 2, is that I Hyperventilated a couple of times. I was still a bit "high" from the 2 for a bit after the birth, but they wore off with no problems.

Tamika - posted on 06/18/2009

Quoting Tricia:

If you tolorate pain well, its not that bad to go through the labor without any pain meds. Its better for you and your baby. epidurals have a long standing issue with back pain for the rest of your life, ask older people who had them and have had problems... Also they can cause the baby to go into distress and the heart rate to drop. I decided to go without pain meds, and didnt know if I could... but once the pushing starts you forget all about the pain anyway!!

I agree 100% about the epidurals. May I ask how long you were in labor for and if you experienced back labor? I was just wondering, my mom was in labor 5 hour with me and no meds, and 3 hour with my sis and no meds. Me on the other hand 20 hours of hard active labor that switched to my back in 15th hour my first labor. The second was 25 hours of hard avtive labor that switched to my back in the 17th hour. Both times I was determained to have no meds, but when the conractiins moved to my back all beats were off. I held on for about 2 hours before I was screaming for the drugs.

I consider myself to have a high tolerance for pain, so getting the epidurals briused my ego so to speak. Actually I called myself a wimp and cried through both epidurals. Do you think it is the back labor or the lenght of my labors that caused my to wimp out.

Tamika - posted on 06/18/2009

I used an epidural in both of my labors after the back labor kicked in. My oldest son just turned 8 and I had back pain at the sight during my periods for about 5 years. My youngest just turned 2 and the epidural was placed higher on my back between my shoulder blades. I have pain at the site once in a while but when it flares up I loose range of motion. Its kind of like have a stiff neck and you cant turn your neck, but only in your back.



My advice is listen to your body not your doctor or nurse. I was in labor for 20 hours the first time. I got the epidural in the 17th hour because the back pain was undearable and I was tired. God bless the medicen cuz I slept for the last 3 hours. The prolem was the medicine slowed the contractions and my son got stuck, so I had to have a c section. The second time I was in lador for 25 hours. I got the epidural in th 19th hour for the same reason. This time around I achieved a VBAC.



Both my boys were born wide eyed and alert, both scoring a perfect 5 on their apgar.

Tricia - posted on 06/18/2009

If you tolorate pain well, its not that bad to go through the labor without any pain meds. Its better for you and your baby. epidurals have a long standing issue with back pain for the rest of your life, ask older people who had them and have had problems... Also they can cause the baby to go into distress and the heart rate to drop. I decided to go without pain meds, and didnt know if I could... but once the pushing starts you forget all about the pain anyway!!

Jan - posted on 06/18/2009

To bo honest with you by the time I had reached the hospital i was already three centimeters dialated. i had arrived at the hospital at 8:30 PM. My body obviously wasn't use to the contractions becuse this is my first child. I tried to sit in the hot tub just to make the pain lesson, although that just made me freak out even more, i mean it worked for like 30 min then they just started to get worse. The i looked at my sons father and yelled for him to get the fucking nurse because I wanted the bitch to give me the epideral shot. She onviously was having a bad night because she told me it would take one hour to get everything ready and she said that might slow the birth down, because my sons head was already almost out. So i just settled for newbane, which is a natural med. It actually made me really relaxed inbetween contractions, then when I would get ready to have my contraction i could actually push.But that helped out so much. Actually my labor was only for 3 hours and i was only pushing for 29 minutes, i had my son at exactly midnight.

Christina - posted on 06/18/2009

I started with Stadol...basically, you feel like your drunk and having contractions...its aboslutely awful! Then I had an epidural...no pain whatsoever, but I also was on Pitocin to induce labor, so that slowed everything down...which ended up in a c-section,w here I had a spinal cause the epidural wouldnt take anymore...from there I vomited black liquid. Botom line, none of that crap is good for you. But, if your laboring fine, the epidural will do its job and you will feel nothing!

Crystal - posted on 06/18/2009

I also had an epidural and I thought it was amazing! I was afraid of pain meds because of the side effects. I didn't feel a thing during labor and also could have slept until pushing but I was too excited, nervous, ect. lol! I think that the epidural is the best way to go.

Kirsten - posted on 06/18/2009

I was induced last Monday & it was nuts. They gave me pitocin & then broke my water. By the third contraction I was begging for an epidural. I finally got it & my nurse told me that low blood pressure is a common side effect. I started getting nauseous within an hour & then started vomiting. They had to switch my epidural to one without a narcotic & gave me an anti-nausea medicine as well. They also turned down my epidural because I couldn't feel where to push. Even with the vomiting, I still would have the epidural again. I didn't itch at all but moving my legs was a big problem. I was completely numb. Still completely worth it because my son is adorable!!

Sara - posted on 06/18/2009

I didn't make it the hospital in time to get anything with my first 3. With my last one, I had stadol. It was likew being drunk within seconds. I still felt the pain, but I suppose it could have been worse. After he was born I was disoriented for quite some time, but like I said it was just like being drunk.

Jess - posted on 06/18/2009

Thanks to everyone for their help. I have alot to consider now so thanks heaps. :-)

Jackie - posted on 06/18/2009

I got an epidural as soon as the doctors offered it. It was great as far as side effects I did have some back pain that lasted a couple of months.

Christa - posted on 06/18/2009

I had an epidural, which was not my plan, but I won't do it again. My labor was moving very quickly (one of the reasons I gave in a got it) but after I got the epidural it slammed on the brakes. Then they broke my water to get things moving again, which didn't work so then they had to give me pitocin, which was awful! Even with the epidural the contractions I had with the pitocin were unbearable. Needless to say that did get the labor moving again, but I will do it natural this time. I probably would have been done in half the time and I'd rather it be faster then painless. Even with the epidural you still feel some pain and it takes forever! That's my experience.

Francine - posted on 06/18/2009

I just gave birth to my first baby 2 weeks ago & had an epidural. I was scared to get anything at first, but towards the end, I really needed it & was sooo glad I did!!! I didn't have any pain after I got it & pushing was so easy for me. My water had broken on its own at around 8am & by noon I was about 8cm & asked for the epidural since my contractions were unbearable for me. It did slow my labor down. I gave birth at almost 4pm, but I had almost no pain at all. It's a drug, it has different effects on everyone. You don't know what kind of effect it'll have on you unless you try it. If I was able to stand the pain w/o it, then I would have., but I couldn't. I'm definitely getting it again for my next child.

Emily - posted on 06/18/2009

labour is a positive pain. you body is working so hard. everyone is diferent and handle it better then others. I was open to pain relief but only as a last resort......till i was really in labor.... water didint do much for me i was sick in the bath ad shower so i was then begging for pethadine! they told me i was only a cuople hours away at 4 pm but they gave me pethadine at 5:30pm which made me extrmey drowsy i was giving people the finger an yelling at my husband and i cant remember (thankfully) bu i think that the pethadine slowed down the process too at least it made me drowsy enough to sleep a little. The pethadine wore off so i had gas. The gas for me as awesome! this time round hopefully all i will have is the gas! Also try to stay at home for as long as you can its more relaxing and comfortable. everyone is different and will respond differenlty to pain and pain relief

Tatham - posted on 06/18/2009

i got an epidural at about the 6 cm mark..then when they were done putting it in and i laid down i was ready to push..the only side effect i had was that it actually slowed down my contractions..so they had to back the epi off and start petocin ( not sure how to spell) but about an hour later i was ready to push and he was here...

Michelle - posted on 06/18/2009

i went natural both times

Sophie - posted on 06/18/2009

i never believed in pain relief until i was in labour. lol. i had pethidine which was such a lovley relief and loads of gas and air. i recommend if you need pain relief let them know as early on as pos or they will just say you are to far gone to have anything strong. good luck luv x xx

Samantha - posted on 06/18/2009

i was given nubane and phenergan before my epidural. The combo of those two made me loopy, and then i had the epidural and i was a goner. I slept through most of my labor after that. While i was pushing though, i did throw up. I think it was a combination of the pain meds and the stress. For pain after my c-section, they gave me percoset and that made me very sleepy. luckily there was a lot of family visiting so they watched the baby while is slept.

Marabeth - posted on 06/18/2009

i dilated to 7.5 cm and then got an epidural.. ended up being a really good idea. i had a nap before i pushed! it took three good contractions worth of pushes before her head was out and i could feel the whole thing except for the pain. her bent elbow tore my vaginal wall so also not feeling the dozen or so internal stitches was a lifesaver. i feel that my calmness during stitching and the next few hours after birth really contributed to a quicker, cleaner healing overall. also the baby came out super alert and latched on like a pro eager to suck! (when i was pg i was worried an epidural would weaken that reflex in her..)

Jennifer - posted on 06/18/2009

i had an epidural it was great and i had no sid effects

Tamisha - posted on 06/18/2009

I used the epidural and it helped during my labour. When i went home i started feeling pain in my lower back when i bent....but it didnt last for long the pain went away after a little where. now i dont feel anything at all.

Amber - posted on 06/18/2009

I used an epidural, and I didn't have any side effects.. It truly depends on the person!

Leighanne - posted on 06/18/2009

The first time I ended up with diamorphine 3 times as I wasn't shown how to use the gas and air properly and a spinal block for stitches afterwards. The diamorphine can make you really sick (it did me) and it can make the baby groggy if it's given too late BUT it waseffective. The second time I used mostly gas and air and had a half dose of diamorphine at 6cms dilated and that worked brilliantly. No groggy baby either.



The point is that ALL the methods mentioned are safe for you AND baby so think about yourself first. The baby won't remember what you did anyways. Happy mum = happy baby.

Jaime - posted on 06/18/2009

My first I had demerol + gravol, then ended up with an epidural as the baby had to be turned, no side effects with this delivery. My 2nd baby I had the epidural, but it didn't take effect until after I already had her so needless to say I couldn't even walk to the special nursery where she was for a couple of hours. My 3rd baby I again went for the epidural, worked great I only felt the pressure of the baby coming. Immediately after giving birth I was itchy and could not stop shaking (my teeth were chattering) so I had to have benadryl IV push which helped me sleep that first night!

Eliza - posted on 06/18/2009

I had a shot of demerall in my hip and that was it. no side effects, and not even sure if it helped. next time i probably won't use any. the only thing that did have a side effect on me was the pytocin they used to induce the labor. it made me throw up once, then they turned it down.

Bridget - posted on 06/18/2009

I used an epidural and it was wonderful! It helped me to sleep until it was time to push. Just make sure you know that you are not allergic to any of the drugs used, you can get really itchy! Good luck!

Amber - posted on 06/18/2009

durring my labor i wanted pain meds but i didnt want an epidural right away cuz i was planning on getting into the jacuzzi. so instead they gave me nubain...it made me feel really drugged out. i could not hold a conversation or even hold my head up. then once that wore off i asked for my epidural. it was like a switch turned off my contractions. i was having conversations and even doing scratch off tickets. i felt some pressure durring bad contractions. the only side effect i had from it was my back was a little sore the next day but nothing too bad.

Charlotte - posted on 06/18/2009

I didn't have anything but I did use a birthing pool and the water was wonderful, really relaxing and it definately helped and no side effects. I thought before I had a baby that the contractions would get stronger and then the most painful part would be pushing the baby out but actually when the contractions get stronger and then you think its going to get worse because you've still got to push, it doesn't! the pushing is actually easier and more productive so I would definately recommend giving birth without anything as long as you can try to relax into it as much as possible. Hope it all goes well whatever you decide

Angela - posted on 06/18/2009

I have never even heard of getting gas.. wow thats sort of neat.
words like "Needle and spine "scared me away from an EPI. I went natural. AFTER I had my daughter they gave me stadol to help with stitches and such... it didn't help I felt every stitch- I just got really loopy and talkative.

Katrina - posted on 06/18/2009

Hi Jess - i used a TENS machine, i think that helped heaps and GAS, the gas was gr8 and tens at once......! I also had Pethedine at the last minute, not sure what it done for me as at that stage i was almost ready to push. After going to my classes and hearing about the pethedine (so close to birth) i didn't want it but i honestly dont think it does any harm to your baby as my lil boy was fine and still is.

I hope this helps! Look into the TENS!!

Charlie - posted on 06/18/2009

had gas it was funny ! epidural gave me violent shakes and didnt even stop the pain from contractions !

Claire - posted on 06/18/2009

I had gas an air an pethidene the only affects from the pethidene was it makes u very drowsy x x

Christine - posted on 06/17/2009

Wow I never realized how many people have had epidurals..I kinda was hoping for one cuz the contraction pain was becoming unbearable but was soon dilated enough and then my labour was quite fast, so by that time I really didnt have time to ask for any other pain relief.



The only pain releif I had was the gas which only helped if i was doing it properly (inhaling and exhaling deep-which was hard when your in pain and just wanna scream lol) ..and also just to note the contractions are farworse then the actual birth of baby..which I found out on the day lols..only thing bout the gas is it makes you real high lol..but still aware and baby was born healthy and weighed in at 7.13pounds (3.65kgs) and shes nearly a month now=). Good Luck with your birth,x.x.

Kate CP - posted on 06/17/2009

I had a pain med free birth and they put me on Pitocin. I personally didn't think labor and delivery was all that bad, but I have what you might call "birthing hips". Meaning I have a large ass. After 36 hours of off and on labor I almost gave in to the idea of an epidural but I held fast thanks to my coach. I think natural birth is worth trying but you shouldn't feel guilty or like a failure if you end up needing some pain relief.

Danie - posted on 06/17/2009

i had pethadine for my first coz gas made me sick, then for my second the pethadine made me sick and i used gas, i suggest while in labour soak in a really warm bath it helped a little for me!! Pethadine makes u drowsey and it made me cry alot, with the gas i got cranky(hehehe) my husbands coped a bit of yelling

Angela - posted on 06/17/2009

With my first I had an epidural the side effects I had was back pain with I still get from time to time, and I was just so drained. With my second I didn't have time to get anything the nurse was coming down the hall with the epidural and my daughter was on her way out so I had no time to get anything. To tell you the truth I felt amazing after I had my daughter full of energy. I wish I would have never got the epidural with my son.

Hailey - posted on 06/17/2009

THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER HAVING WAS GAS I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING BUT SOUNDS LIKE I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR SOME CHD CAUSE IT BLOODY HURT , THE GAS WAS GOOD WHEN IT KICKED IN AS IT HELPED ME TO STOP PANICING ,I THINK THE CONTRACTIONS ARE THE WORST PART THOUGH AS WHEN ITS TIME TO PUSH YOUR JUST TOO EXHAUSTED TO WORRY ABOUT THE PAIN YOU JUST WANT TO GET THE BABY OUT HOPE YOU HAVE A QUICK BIRTH AND GOODLUCK HUN

Jess - posted on 06/17/2009

very true traci lol.. thanks heaps.

Winthiri - posted on 06/17/2009

epidural.. it was AMAZING!!! I recommend it to everyone, I was so relaxed during my labour that I fell asleep and when I woke up I was told it was time to push. Didn't feel a thing.. good luck!!