Ive never been good with pain, Ive always had extremely painful period pains in life and in general have never been good with pain.
So now that i am pregnant and planning my labour, I would like to know what is the best pain relief as I dont want to have a stressful, painful labour.
Is gas and air going to be enough? does it actually take any pain away?
Or would an epidural be a better option?
What are the pro’s and con’s for both of these?
It depends on your situation at the time and when you end up in hospital in relation to the progress of your labour. If you are in advanced labour gas and air becomes the only option. If you wish an epidural, which is not without risk and increases your risk of requiring intervention, (forceps or a Caesarean,) ideally you should discuss this option with your midwife in advance. Otherwise the middle option is pethidine and gas and air in the later stages.
#1 by Kent on December 6th, 2009
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Alcohol worked for my wife.
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#2 by Nuen on December 6th, 2009
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vicadin or coding
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#3 by treemeadow on December 6th, 2009
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Gas and Air is NOT ENOUGH. It dulls it a bit, but it is still there.
Epidurals work fantastically, but you have to go through a bit of labour first. Still the pain. Once you get it, though, its great. A lot of pressure, though, and the post-birth recupertation still hurts.
Basicalllly, you can’t escape the pain of childbirth totally. The doctors will let you have gas and air until you’re ready to have the epidural. So, tag-team- get the best of both.
Some women will say it is a mark of strength and love to experience the pain.
Those women are nuts- admirable, sure, but nuts. It is no more a mark of womanhood than it is for a man to have an impressive …anyway.
Good luck with mommyhood, and don’t forget- for all the pain you experience, it really does seem like nothing once you see Jr for the first time.
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#4 by Kelly J on December 6th, 2009
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hello there i can only tell you how it was for me for my first 2 children i had epidural as i was so scard of the pain, you cant really feel much from your belly down you get slight pain but no worse then a belly ache. but you feel heavy labour is longer to my first 2 kids were 17 hours and you have to have a cavitor. you cant get up or walk about either and have to stay in bed for a while after baby is born to as legs are to heavy. with my 3rd child i only had gas and air i gave birth very fast but this may have been because it was my 3rd it was the best labour i have had. i went home a few hours later. i guess you have to think about what is right for you maybe you could speak to your midwife and ask to have an epidural on standby.
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self
#5 by Dr Frank on December 6th, 2009
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It depends on your situation at the time and when you end up in hospital in relation to the progress of your labour. If you are in advanced labour gas and air becomes the only option. If you wish an epidural, which is not without risk and increases your risk of requiring intervention, (forceps or a Caesarean,) ideally you should discuss this option with your midwife in advance. Otherwise the middle option is pethidine and gas and air in the later stages.
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GP for more years than I care to remember
#6 by Kathy on December 6th, 2009
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I just had an injection of pethidine and sucked on gas – so much so that I knocked myself out during the contractions.
an epidural is a common choice by an increasing number of women, however it’s associated with a higher incidence of delayed labour due to relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles leading to foetal distress and instrument deliveries – which then has its own set of complications in terms of larger episiotomy cuts for the mother and birth trauma for the baby.
pain management is a personal choice though, and everyone is different in how they cope with pain. there are certainly a number of pain management strategies available during labour, and you should thoroughly research all of them when attending antenatal classes. when working in the delivery suites – I’ve used the various narcotics and gas systems, hot showers, hot packs, back massage and tummy rubs for women, made use of pillows for positioning, helped them walk around their room during labour, and been someone to be the hand-holder where needed.
you do need to balance your needs with everything else that goes on though, because if you don’t cope with pain – you may wear yourself out – which is no good for you or the baby.
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personal experience, retired nurse/midwife
#7 by dogcrazylady on December 6th, 2009
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I couldn’t get on with gas and air so had Pethidine, can make you a bit nauseous but works great.
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#8 by lkl on December 6th, 2009
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Gas was not an option in my day. I had a miserable 24 hr. labor. I begged the Dr. for a C section I was miserable and an epidural was my only option. It helped a lot but once it wore off I couldn’t get another cause baby was coming.
Take whatever you can get, they will not give anything like vicodin or anything that will hurt baby. You’ll do fine and think of the miracle you are bringing into the world, that will be alright. You’ll do better than I did I’m sure.
Congratulations on baby!
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#9 by Chronic IL on December 6th, 2009
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Having a water birth is a great option if you want to go natural. http://www.waterbirth.org The water takes the pressure off and water baby mommas have fewer tears and emergency C-sections. Epidurals are the best non-natural alternative, but you may slow your labor and need a C-section, forceps, or other interventions. It should be your choice, but hospitals force you to do everything their way.
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