What othere kinds of pain medication have you all tried during labor besides an epidural?

Question

I have been reading about all these back problems after epidurals wear off and the catheters that need to be used etc. I also read it can make your brain sink into your spine and thats why you can get headaches afterwards. (Eww). :) Anyway are there any pain medications to take in labor that help at least so you can manage the pain a lot better? What about demerol, stadol, and nubain? Are those very different from eachother?

Answer 1

There are various pain management techniques. IV drugs can be administered (which is what I had and it mostly made me feel tired). There are massage techniques, acupuncture can be done, breathing exercises (lamaze). Ask your doctor what is out there and what he/she would recommend for you. Let your dr know how you feel about each one. You can also talk to a midwife who can give you other alternatives that are non medical. I was wary of the epidural and to tell you the truth other than remembering it hurt like hell I don't remember the pain that much and I forgot it relatively quickly after the birth of my daughter. Good luck, hope this helped.

Answer 2

I was given Demerol. Like you, I was afraid of the needle in my spine, as I would be in labor and want to wiggle. Not the ideal thing if you were in labor I wouldn't think.

However, I had a longer labor. When I was given Demerol I was able to sleep through about 4 hours of heavy contractions. The unfortunate part was they figured on my son coming 3 hours before he did. The Demerol wore off and since I was too close to giving birth they would not give me more. While I did get a 4 hour break (out of 20 hours) of labor, the last three hours of labor and delivery I had to bear the pain.

Looking back it worked out. When I was given the Demerol I was only 4cm dilated so I had a while to go. When the best of the Demerol wore off I was working on adrenalin and excitement of having the baby. I am certainly glad I didn't get the epidural.

However, you get absolutely no brownie points for being stubborn and going the natural child birth route. Unless giving pain medication would complicate the birth, I say take advantage of modern science if you need it.

Answer 3

I had one shot of morphine because I am allergic to demoral and believe me it didn't do much. I still wanted to say forget it, but unfortunately this child was coming no matter what. My sister in law had the epidural and said it was amazing, others don't like it. I refused to use it, childbirth is a miraculous thing and I'm glad I experienced it, pain and all. My cousin used Nubian and said it was wonderful, she was able to sleep in between contractions. There is a lot out there, but the epidural is the only one that really takes the entire pain away, everything else just takes the edge off.

Answer 4

Hi,
I am in Australia, and have never heard of any of those medications you mentioned, apart from the epidural.
Over here the hospitals offer gas, a pethidine injection or an epidural.
I chose none of those. Why is it today that everyone wants drugs to "fix " things?
I attended hypnobirthing classes, which is basically just a learned relaxation technique. You learn to relax your mind, and all your muscles.
Labour just flows naturally after that. It is still intensive as you feel the contractions working to push the baby out, but I did not feel any pain, just lots of pressure.
I recommend it to everyone. Unfortunately, most people just don't believe that labour can be pain free, and don't even attempt to give it a go.
Well, it's their loss. I did it and it was fantastic. I have had two beautiful babies, both naturally and completely drug free. I remember every moment and am so glad I was open minded enough to give hypnobirthing a go.
Actually experiencing the birthing process is an amazing and beautiful thing. Why anyone would want to be drugged to their eyeballs and not remember clearly the first time they saw their baby's beautiful face is beyond me.
Whatever you choose, a healthy baby is the most important thing.
Good Luck and best wishes.

Answer 5

My 1st kid I wanted to go all natural, but after 12 hours of labor, couldn't handle the pain anymore, so they gave me a shot of nubain, after which I went to sleep and would probably slept through the entire birth, if not my doctor and my husband trying to keep me up. That is why the memories of my kid is like in the deep fog.
The 2nd one I had nubain earlier than 12 hours, that made me really drowsy (I guess, I didn't learn the 1st time). I had to have a 2nd injection of it later, and that didn't help with the pain at all. I promised myself if we have another baby, I'll give epidural a try (unless they'll invent pain-free labor than).

But whatever you choose is up to you and how you feel during labor, because anything can be discussed in the process. Good luck!

Answer 6

epidural yes.i had demerol. it was the best.the only thing that hurt was the actual needle going into the spine.and a little pain at the needle puncture site after wards.my sister in law had an allergic reaction to stadol.

Answer 7

I had stadol during my first and wanted more relief, it just took the sharpness out of the contractions but didnt relieve the pain. I recommend an epidural!

Answer 8

I was also afraid of the epidural. I had my children natural it is a great experience. I did have a demeral shot with my 2nd child because I hadnt slept in days and the doctor wanted me to relax. It helped alot. The pain is still there but you can cope with it easier. I was able to get up and walk after my son was born. Good luck and congrats to you..

Answer 9

I had 2 IV injections of Stadol.....did not control the pain, but DID turn me into a babbling idiot. They call it a 6-pack in a syringe.

Answer 10

Any medicine you take will go to the baby. Why do people always tell horror stories to pregnant women? The epidurals that they do now is very low keyed and very good.Talk to your doctor about it and let him/her ease your mind.good Luck with your new arrival!