# Recommended pain relief for crowning/pushing stage?



## dee_

For anyone who has experienced labour before, do you have any recommendations? I know the contractions will be awful but these are the parts of labour I am most anxious about, and therefore interested in any feedback.

I have heard that pethidine is generally used in early labour only. Is it only the epidural that can help with the later/end stages? I'm so nervous about feeling the tearing/stretching/burning!

Thanks in advance xx


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## Kitten_x

gas & air! you will still feel it, but the drugs make it more bearable :) i had pethidine before the pushing stage but dont think it really did anything for me!


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## NaturalMomma

If you're in the UK you can probably get gas and air. If you're in the states generally you have to have pain medications prior to pushing or they won't give it to you. I've given birth, vaginally, twice and in my experience the pushing felt awesome, it wasn't painful. It felt interesting, but not in a bad way. I didn't experience ring of fire, but even if you do it doesn't last long.


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## Leopard

Where I am pethedine has been banned for use in labor because it makes the baby sluggish. Personally I had g&a. They hit me with morphine half an hour before, but it kicked in just as LO was crowning, didn't help with the pain, just made me tired. The needle they used for the morphine hurt more then pushing her out.


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## dee_

Thanks for responses. I am in the uk so can have gas and air, just always heard it didn't take the edge off that much....and I am so scared of feeling any tearing.

I know there is the option of an epidural but worried about the increased need for forceps. I have the option of pethidine which I know might relax me, but wasn't sure if that would help with the actual pain.


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## Leopard

dee_ said:


> Thanks for responses. I am in the uk so can have gas and air, just always heard it didn't take the edge off that much....and I am so scared of feeling any tearing.
> 
> I know there is the option of an epidural but worried about the increased need for forceps. I have the option of pethidine which I know might relax me, but wasn't sure if that would help with the actual pain.

I had a second degree tear and didn't even really feel it after, let alone in labor. I didn't need stitches as it was a perfect tear. Honestly don't get it just because of tearing. Please don't get the pethidine, see if they will swap it for morphine if you do decide to get it. Either way I don't think it will particularly help. As for g&a it really does take the edge off, a lot, and makes you feel pretty cool at the same time :winkwink::haha:


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## LouLou78

When you come up to crowning, breath like mad on the gas and air so you don't feel the ring of fire. Then the second baby has been born after a few breaths on normal air you will feel back down to earth to enjoy your baby. Viola! :)


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## NuKe

you wont feel actual tearing, the ring of fire stings like mad, but i tore very badly but didn't actually feel the "tearing" sensation iykwim? i wasnt allowed the G&A whilst pushing. the crowning lasts all of a few seconds anyway!


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## Mary Jo

I had g&a from 5cm to transition (just over 1 hour), and then the mw wouldn't let me have it for pushing because I wasn't focussing (I was kind of out of my mind with the pain and the g&a). it wasn't helping at that point anyway. the ring of fire was not painful to me, a change in sensation but compared to the contractions it was nothing. I had a couple of first degree tears but again I didn't feel them. 

(I had planned to have pethidine but it all progressed too quickly.)


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## Sovereign

For me the pushing and crowning was a million times less painful than the contractions. And the burning doesn't last long at all and was perfectly bearable imo anyway!x


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## DebzD

I had the gas and air taken off me and wasn't allowed it for crowning/pushing stage, but somehow that didn't seem to hurt as much as the contractions leading up to then.. maybe it's because the end is in sight?!


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## mum22ttc#3

For me gas and air was fine, it helped with my breathing to which I feel helped a lot. Even though 'the ring of fire' does sting it only lasts for a couple of seconds and for me didn't really compare to contractions.

As for the pushing stage it was actually more of a relief from the contraction, like it felt I was getting rid of the contraction kind of thing. That probably doesn't make much sense though :wacko: Its hard to explain in words. :)


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