alternative pain relief to epidural

[astrid83]

Hello, I'm due to give birth to my second child in a few days and am wondering if anyone have experience of being given diamorphine or other pain relief instead of an epidural?

I had an epidural that went horribly wrong with my first baby, first of all it only worked on one side of my body, and it also gave me a duralpuncture which resulted in the most horrific head ache, it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced!

The risk of that happening again is very slim, but I would rather avoid epidural completely to be on the safe side. I would also like my next birth to be quicker and not end in forceps, which I know is more likely to happen if you do have an epidural.

But I'm not sure I can do it without any pain relief at all. My doula has suggested diamorphine if I need something during labour, but I'd like to here from people who have had it before considering it.

I've also got the hypnobirthing CDs on my iPhone, and I've been trying to prepare by listening to it at home but find myself getting annoyed with the woman...not good! :)

I would be most grateful for any input you guys can give me!

[Convex]

Did gas and air work for you? I found a combo of gas and air, water and hypnobirthing breathing worked for me. Also I recommend you read birth skills by juju sindin. I used some of the techniques when the hypnobirthing wasn't working (I have super fast labours so can't really get in the zone)

Also my midwives showed me how to use gas and air properly, although maybe it's just me that got it wrong at first!!

There are also some acupressure points low on your back that cut my contraction pain in half. I know this because my partner accidentally stopped pressing on them mid way through a contraction. You can use a tennis ball to stop your birth partners thumbs from falling off. I got a reflexologist to show us where they were but there was an online booklet I found, I will try and search it later.

[Mariamadeit]

I found a tens machine, until getting in the pool and hypnobirthing techniques was enough for me both times, every birth is different and I'm not trying to say you shouldn't go for the suggested pain relief but it is so worth exploring these if you are up for it.

[bawdy-nan]

Mariamadeit Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I found a tens machine, until getting in the pool

> and hypnobirthing techniques was enough for me

> both times, every birth is different and I'm not

> trying to say you shouldn't go for the suggested

> pain relief but it is so worth exploring these if

> you are up for it.

Me too - but agree with the qualification

[astrid83]

Did not like the gas and air last time, made me nauseous and light headed but I will try it again for sure. Will also try to learn the hypnobirthng technique a bit better....

Hoping to be in the midwife led unit this time and to avoid being induced like I was with my first baby.

[vez]

I also had an epidural and forceps for my first birth. Birth number 2 couldn't have been more different. only about 3 hours in total, half an hour maybe in pain. as a result i only needed gas and air. Of course every birth is different but I have heard of a lot of second births that went much quicker and were much easier.

[astrid83]

Thank you Vez for giving me hope, it's so good to hear positive birth stories like yours.

[ACBP]

Same as vez. I had in hindsight a pretty awful first birth. Over about 30 hrs, Waters broke. Then Induced. Labouring with Back to back baby on gas and air for 14 or so hours. Epidural. More induction drugs. Failed ventouse then forceps, then about 6 hours later big post partun haemorrhage resulting in rush to theatre for procedure and transfusion. I was dreading second time round but so so different. 3-10 and delivery in about 90 mins. Just gas and air. Could push and felt involved in the actual birth as opposed to the first which had led me to believe I was just rubbish at labour. I feel so much more positive after this experience of baby being plonked naked on me after I pushed her out etc as opposed to being dragged and whisked away by a team...

Astrid you will be fine!

[Saffron]

Using a TENS could mean that you need much less diamorphine. However if you've had an unpleasant reaction to gas&air, diamorphine is likely to make that reaction worse, as diamorphine typically has nausea as a side effect.

I've used Emetrol plus opiods to reduce opiod nausea.

I didn't do 'Hypnobirthing', but I did use biofeedback v successfully during a very intense labour. Biofeedback was a combination of yoga/visualisation techniques that my doula helped me to develop, and I further tailored to my own needs.

Good luck! xx

[GillianHG]

I had pethidine during my labour at Kings in October. I was really hoping for a water birth with only gas and air, but it turned out I had a very stubborn baby who didn't want to come out, and so had to be on a drip which meant no lovely water birth for me.

I used gas and air only for about 8 hours then decided I needed something stronger and the pethidine was great for me. I know some people have bad reactions to it (nausea, etc), but it really was a god send for me at that point! After having the injection, I managed to sleep on and off for a couple hours, which was very good because I had at that point been up for about 36 hours, so I don't know how I would have made it through the final stage without that little rest. The only thing I would say is that the midwife told me afterwards that she thought having the pethidine probably slowed my labour down a bit (my baby was born about 7 hours after having the pethidine), but to be honest, I didn't really care and wouldn't have done anything differently.

Wishing you lots of luck. Everyone says the second baby is a lot easier, so I'm sure you'll be great!

[etta166]

I was really surprised by how effective water was for me. I'd hoped to use a pool each time, but only actually managed it for my third. It was really good, not only as direct pain relief but also because it makes changing position easy. I used to be a bit sceptical about water birth, but in the end I just didn't want to get out of the pool once I was in, and delivered in the water as well.

My first two births I didn't have any pain relief, although ideally I would have used gas and air but there wasn't time. Third time around was almost relaxing by comparison, but was also slower.

[newboots]

I strongly recommend TENS. You have to get it on fairly early on in labour (and make sure you have practised with it first), at a low setting, and crank up the intensity as you progress. It does feel a bit weird, rather like having intermittent attacks of pins and needles, but honestly the pain relief from TENS alone is really significant.

[Saffron]

Have you spoken to an anaesthetist about having 'spinal analgesia' instead of an epidural? Just a thought. xx

[minder]

I would recommend gas and air for pain management but it works only if used correctly and with panting out the air in short sharp bursts.

My first baby was 4 weeks early and he was born within 4 hours. I was strapped to the bed with a tens machine and couldn't move and only had gas and air which I took too much of. Of course I ended up with everything just going black and I felt as if I was on another planet. My dear Mum and sister were just voices in the background but I wouldn't have got through it without them.

Next two babies were born 2 and 4 hours from first contraction and I managed with gas and air with a different technique as taught by myself and midwife and it worked. Then again I don't know how I would have coped with just gas and air if I'd had longer labours.

[newboots]

Just to clarify incase Minder's post is unclear: a TENS system has nothing to do with being strapped to a bed and is not a hospital monitoring system in any way. It is entirely portable and you are fully mobile with it. It is not hooked up to a monitor or anything else. All it does is provide pain relief.

[minder]

Sorry if my post was unclear to you newboots. I was covered with a very heavy strap (around 6 inches wide) on top of my stomach which recorded baby's heartbeat etc. as soon as I arrived at King's maternity. I was told not to move from that position and in no way was the machine portable or giving any kind of pain relief!

This was at King's 22 years ago.

It probably wasn't a TENS machine then, my mistake!

[Pickle]

I had a lot of success with a TENS machine in all 3 of my births. All were inductions at 37 weeks, requiring syntocin drips, which I had been told caused a lot of pain and that an epidural was standard. I was pretty determined not to have an epidural, and managed with just the TENS and a little bit of gas and air each time.

I started the TENS at a low level as soon as contractions started, and ramped it up as things got more intense. The "boost" button was fantastic :)

[newboots]

No, Minder, that was not a TENS machine. You were being monitored. Two entirely different things. I'm not being pedantic, I just think its important for astrid83 to know the difference as you might have inadvertently put her off trying TENS.

[minder]

Hope I've not put Astrid off but she's not replied to her original post for the past few days anyway.

[astrid83]

Thanks everyone for your input. Haven't got a tense machine, had one with my first and felt that it did not do much...

Will look up spinal analgesia Saffron, have never heard of it!