What other medications can be given during labor besides an epidural?

Question

Im a little afraid of the whole epidural concept, are there any other medications that can be administered through your IV that are also safe for the baby?? And does insurance cover these medications

Do these other ones work as well as the epidural????

How bad does it hurt to get an epidural????

Answer 1

I know of Nubain. I'm pretty sure it's safe for the baby or else they wouldn't offer it to ya. Um, I'm not sure about the insurance part, depends on what type of insurance you have I guess. It is given to you through an IV. I had that and the epidural. Getting the Nubain first made it so I was numb when they gave me the epidural. I felt one little pinch and that was it. Nubain basically relaxes your muscles, and it made me fall asleep because I was up for 24 hours with contractions before going to the hospital. I'm telling ya, the Nubain was great, and it makes getting the epidural a lot easier than without the Nubain.

Answer 2

I had both Demerol intramuscular and an epidural during labor. By far I liked the epidural better. I got really nauseated with the Demerol. I know they also use morphine but i don't think through an iv? I think they also give it in the muscle with a needle. Hope this helps. not sure about insurance since I'm from Canada.

Answer 3

There are some pain relievers they can give you, although they often drug you up and make you tired. Many people have had problems with this. The baby can also be groggy when he comes out. I didn't choose these because of this. I went with the epidural. It doesn't effect the baby (the anestisist told me) or your state of mind.
The epidural isn't that bad. It goes no where near the spinal cord contrairy to popular belief. The biggest risk is bleeding or infection (which you would also have with an IV). You're usually in so much pain when you get it that the insertion doesn't even bother you and they numb the area anyway.

Answer 4

Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas): it can be used right up until birth with no effect on the baby. The down fall is that it may make you dizzy and have temporary tingling or numbness in your hands and face. It will only dull the pain, not take it away

Demerol,Fentanyl: it is given by IV or directly by injection into the muscle. It usually works within 20-30 mins and can last for 1-2 hrs. It will make you feel relaxed and sleepy. The downfall of this medication is it makes the baby sleepy as well and may require oxygen at birth. Again this one only dulls but does not take away pain.

Pudendal Block: This is a local anaesthetic that is injected into the nerves around your vagina. It will block the pain in the vagina, vulva, and perenium. This is usually given in the pushing stage of labour and may affect the babys ability to breastfeed.

Then finally you have the epidural which you are hoping to avoid. I cant say i blame you. I believe all of the medicinal options that i have listed are covered. Good luck! Safe delivery.

Answer 5

if i were you, I would get the epidural, the epidural is done by anesthesiologist. They are very good, and they do not hurt. You just need to stay as steady as possible and not move. I had an epidural, and I was scared at first too, but after words I was so relieved that I took it, because the pain was totally gone. The epidural is the safest way for you and your baby, trust me.

Answer 6

Certain narcotics, such as fentanyl or demerol (however, demerol is not used as often anymore).

Another one is the intrathecal, which is similar to epidural, but you may be able to walk or move around a bit more, instead of being confined to bed with an epidural.

Answer 7

Yes, i believe all insurances will cover the medications, you can call to double check though.
Good Luck!

How do most women manage the pain of labor and delivery?
Most moms-to-be in the United States choose some kind of pain medication (most commonly an epidural) to help them cope with labor. Some decide well before delivery day that they want pain medication, some ask for relief when they find that labor isn't what they imagined, and some end up opting for medication if nature throws them a curveball and they end up with a long or complicated labor. Keep in mind that the intensity of the discomfort during labor varies from woman to woman and birth to birth.

"No woman can predict what sort of pain she'll have during labor or how she'll cope with it," says David Wlody, director of obstetric anesthesia at Long Island College Hospital in New York. "While some will manage very well with breathing and relaxation techniques, others will not. Try to keep an open mind about what your needs might be and don't second-guess your decision after delivery."

In any case, you'll usually need to make a decision about whether you want drugs while you're still in the first stage of labor. By the time you're pushing, it's generally too late.

What are my options?
You may have several options for how you want your pain medication delivered:

* Systemic medications Systemic painkillers such as narcotics dull your pain but don't completely eliminate it. You may also be given a tranquilizer — alone or in combination with a narcotic — to reduce anxiety or nausea, or to relax you. Systemic drugs are either delivered through an IV line to your bloodstream or injected into a muscle, and they affect your entire body rather than concentrating pain relief in the uterus and pelvic area. They may make you feel sleepy, but unlike the general anesthesia that's often given for surgery, they won't make you unconscious. Learn more.

* Epidural An epidural delivers continuous pain relief to the lower part of your body while allowing you to remain fully conscious. Medication is delivered through a catheter, a very thin, flexible, hollow tube that's inserted into the epidural space just outside the membrane that surrounds your spine. The medication is usually a combination of a local anesthetic and a narcotic. Local anesthetics block sensations of pain, touch, movement, and temperature, and narcotics blunt pain without affecting your ability to move your legs. Used together, they provide good pain relief with less loss of sensation in your legs and at a lower total dose than you'd need with just one or the other. Learn more.

* Spinal block A spinal differs from an epidural in two ways: It's delivered directly into the spinal fluid (and not into the space surrounding your spine), and it's a one-time injection rather than a continuous feed through a catheter. As a result, relief is rapid and complete but lasts only a few hours. Your practitioner may order a spinal block if you decide you want pain relief late in labor or if you're progressing so rapidly that delivery is likely to be sooner rather than later and you can't wait for an epidural. Learn more.

* Combined spinal/epidural A combined spinal/epidural block is a newer technique that offers the rapid pain relief of a spinal and the continuous relief of the epidural. In early labor, this technique can work like a walking epidural because you rely primarily on the narcotics in the spinal injection for pain relief for the first hour or two (which allows you to continue to walk around). Then you have the epidural to fall back on once the spinal starts to wear off. In more active labor, you may opt for a combined spinal/epidural so you get immediate relief from the spinal while you're waiting for the epidural to work. Learn more.

Answer 8

To xraydri above, did your doctor tell you that an epidural doesnt affect that baby? cause that isnt true..check out
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/painfreebirthing/baby.aspx
and tons of others sites....

but i do agree that if you do go with pain medicine, go with the epidural...The others drugs tend to make you drowsy..wouldnt you want to be fully alert for the birth of your child??

Answer 9

The demerol didn't work for me. It just made me high - the pain was still there.

Have you considered a water birth? I labored in water with my son, and the contractions while I was in the water weren't nearly so bad as the ones when I was on dry land.

Answer 10

They have several different pain killers that they can give you through IV and oraly that will just take the edge off. These are the three that I know of Demerol, Nubain, and Stadol. My mom used Demerol and one of the nurses in my midwifes office says Nubain was good for her.