Anyone considering pain medication (Demerol/Pethidine,other IV drugs) instead of an epidural?

Question

I really want to avoid an epidural. I don't think I want to be completely numb, stuck in bed, and  have a catheter. I don't see many people talking about the option of IV pain relief and laughing gas (nitrous oxide), which is what I am considering for labour.

Answer

Here's what I tell my patients. IV pain meds start off fine for MOST women. You can usually get them every 1-2 hours but they become progressively less effective each time. Also, they go into the blood stream so they DO affect the baby. Consequently, a good hospital will not let you have them after you are dilated to a 7 since you are so close to delivery that the baby can be born sluggish and may need Narcan to reverse the IV pain meds. Unfortunately, being dilated to a 7 usually means that you are entering transition - which is the most intense part of labor. So if you are not tolerating contractions before this point, odds are that you will be hating life afterwards! My recommendation is to go ahead and get the epidural. It does NOT go into the blood stream and therefore does not affect your baby. Also, you can have your anesthesiologist give you a "light" one (a good epidural takes away the pain and leaves the pressure) and that way you can feel when to push and push effectively. Also, its a myth that epidurals slow your labor down. They don't in and of themselves. The only things that may "slow" it down is the fact that you can't get out of bed, sit on the birthing ball/toilet, or use a squat bar, etc to allow gravity to facilitate labor. For this reason, GET A PEANUT BALL - but only use it AFTER your epidural or you are instantly going to reinvent that pain rating of a 10! The cool thing is that peanut balls will make your baby SHOOT out of your vag. I usually do an epidural around a 5 on my patients, then put them on a peanut ball and 9x out of 10, we have a baby 1.5 hours later. I'm telling you they are golden! Anyway - hope this helps and congrats on your baby!

Answer

I just had my first baby on 11/11 and I had a water birth (at a birthing unit) with just gas & air. My labour progressed SUPER quickly (from 1cm dilated to birth in about 5hours) so it wasn't much time to get used to the contractions! What I will say is I don't personally think G&A is pain relief, but it helped me to breath / count (as I'd been practicing hypnobirthing before labour too). I thought my pain threshold was quite low, and I know for a fact my mum & husband (and maybe / probably my friends) thought I wouldn't be able to do it. I did ask for an epidural at about 9cm - it was too late by then as I'd have to be moved to the labour ward, wait for the anaesthetist, and the midwife explained it could slow down pushing and could result in assisted birth (eg forceps). 
Gas & air just helped me regulate my breathing and re-focus...but if I can do it I'm sure anyone can!

Answer

I don't know why, but I imagine no pain meds at all being the easiest way for me. If I'm in a lot of pain, I'll be very determined to get her out and do whatever is necessary. Of course I've never experienced labor so I don't really know. I'm open to other options when I get there and get a feel for how bad the pain is.

Answer

I had the most minimal dose of epidural and could still feel my legs (and move them without help). I also was able to allow it to wear off before pushing so I knew where to push. Best decision I could have made and I think it has less side effects on baby.

Answer

I had my first on November 3. I didn't want to be stuck in a bed either with an epidural so I got fentanyl. It lasts for about 30 minutes and gives you a break from the pain. I got 2 doses while laboring the first one didn't last very long but the second did wonders. According to my family I fell asleep between contractions. You can get as many doses as you need, mine were administered towards the end right before I began pushing.

Anyone considering pain medication (Demerol/Pethidine,other IV drugs) instead of an epidural?

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