Pain relief in labour

[1sttimemumm]

Anyone can provide me with tips on how to manage pain during labour? First time mom due next month

[Abs1403]

I think, as with everything in parenthood, do what feels right for you at the time.

I was induced and whilst on the hormone drip I had gas and air - I was really against having an epidural abs even tried to avoid the G&A for a while…. I was in some discomfort and thought ‘nobody is going to give me a medal for getting through this without pain relief’ which was the turning point for G&A! It was so welcome by the time I started using it.

I ended up with an emergency c-section so had no choice on the epidural in the end.

Everyone’s pain threshold is different, if you feel like you need it, have it and don’t worry about what anyone else might say / think.

Good luck!

[Mcra]

I would also advise to study your options and be open-minded. And I cannot recommend hypnobirthing enough. It helps you whatever your birth; vaginal, C-section, with or without interventions.Personally I loved gas & air, it really took the edge of my pain and it was enough for me.

[Claireeeeeeeeeeeee]

I found hypnobirthing really helped me, regardless of what kind of birth you want being able to stay calm and listen to all the options is really useful. I would add that what works for one might not work for you. I couldn't stand gas and air made me feel out of control and it made me vomit. It felt like being really drunk to me but some people love it. I ended up just using the breathing techniques from hypnobirthing but then I found labour more hard work like running a marathon than painful. I would say research your options and do what's right for you

[PoppyC38]

Also to add I found moving helped. I did a lot of leaning on the kitchen worktop and the back of the sofa rocking my hips was really comfortable, particularly in the earlier phases. G&A was good later on. I even just liked the distraction of biting on the mouth piece. Have water to hand because it really makes your throat sooooo dry. Good luck!

[Sunnyday33]

I have always had a high pain threshold but labour was something else. I had an epidural and gas&air which did the trick!

[Jogsandwalks]

For me gas and air was just a distraction, it didn't really ease the pain much but it helped to have something to do when the pain was there. Pethidine was amazing but you're only allowed two shots of it so ration it and pick the time to have it such as when you've been in labour for a while and you're tired or when you are at the strong contractions stage.

I wasn't allow an epidural because of my blood and there were risks involved if I had one. I would have had one if I was able to.

I started with gas and air and had that throughout, had 3 rounds of codedine and paracetamol and two rounds of pethidine. I asked for more pethidine and they said that was my lot unfortunately. I was drugged up to the eyeballs. Pethidine is a winner for definite.

By the way I was in labour for at least 24 hours that's why I had the time to take so many drugs so I can only wish you a short and easy labour.

[Suzukisv650]

Have you done a birth plan with your midwife yet, as that should go through pain relief, positions etc? Just keep in mind every birth is different and your birth plan will probably go completely out of the window... But at least then you know your options! My labour was so quick I didn't have time to really think or decide much, thankfully the midwives have seen it all before and should support you throughout.

[jolota]

Agree everyone is different & everyone has a different labour so depends on what works for you. I used a TENS for the first 48 hours of labour up to 7cm, plus 1 shot of diamorphine to help me sleep (but the nausea lasted ages after which wasn’t great). Did not love the sensation of the TENS but it did help with the pain, finding out I’d finally gone from 3cm to 7cm overnight and was classed as active labour & could have some different pain relief was such a joy!

Having a bath was as effective as the TENS for me pain relief wise & being upright and active helped me through contractions too.

Used gas & air after that which I found great but my labour stalled & the baby went back to back. Some people get nauseated from g&a but I didn’t at all.

Gas & air and the birthing pool were not enough for those contractions, it was brutal but I think it may have been manageable. I wanted to top up with diamorphine but you can’t have that & be in the pool so bear that in mind as I wasn’t aware until I was in the moment & I’d really wanted to at least labour in the pool & maybe give birth in it.

In the end though I had to be transferred to a hospital as my waters had been broken manually & I still wasn’t dilating past 8cm after hours so I had to go on the hormonal drip, at this point I asked for an epidural even though I really hadn’t wanted one but the contractions from the drip were too intense & I was exhausted.

I had a mobile epidural so could still move around which helped but the nurses had to keep telling me to top it up as it kept wearing off too much (after like an hour of no top ups) and then I’d be struggling for ages as you can only top up once every 15 minutes.

Definitely agree with hypnobirthing though, just the idea of having a clear breathing pattern to focus on really helped me stay calm and make decisions and find the whole process not too stressful. Would really recommend, you’ll be surprised how much you can get through just by breathing and focusing!

[RachSee]

Definitely look into Remifentinal (I think that’s how you spell it) also known as a ‘walking epidural’ - it is amazing! You basically have control over the pain relief, you use a button which administers the drug and dulls the contraction. My midwife never told me about it, I only heard about it through a friend, so ask your midwife...I used it during my second natural birth and it really helped.

[Milliemoo6]

I'd advise you to go through the list of available pain relief in your area (can be provided by your midwife) and think about what feels right for you. I hated the idea of an epidural but when it came to being in labour, the pain was so great its what I opted for and it was absolutely amazing. It allowed me to actually enjoy the rest of the labour and get excited when it was time to push, rather than be completely consumed by the pain. Everyone deals with pain differently, and everyone labours ddifferently. It's good to have a plan bu be prepared for that to all go out the window when the time comes