Anyone with Red Hair...?

[SecretlyAnia]

Hey everyone!

I promise this is related to l&d!

While I was giving birth I was given an Epidural - which was VERY patchy... They thought it had been placed wrong, so they redid it. By this time I was 7cm dilated.

Again - it was patchy, and it didn't do as much.

So, they gave me a Combined Spinal. I think the doctor said this was like the c-section drug that would leave me pretty feelingless shoulders down.

This was not the case as well though, as I still felt my arms, and contractions...It was only at the very end, when they had given me an extra dose of whatever medications used, I couldn't feel anything.

I was in so much pain, the baby was in the wrong position, my labour was like 30 hours long, I had like 3 and a half hours of pushing...

Anyhow, my baby doctor(Who was also a red head) had said the pain tolerance in red-heads is much lower than those without, but also resistance to medication is also a lot stronger....I was surprised, but I had remembered hearing this when I was 16 and had my gallbladder taken out....Morphine and other such drugs do not work on me....


Anyone else with red hair experience this?

 

[Mommi2Be]

I actually have heard that redheads do have a lower pain tolerance. I can't remember where I've read that, but I have heard it before.

 

[GingerNut]

I'm a redhead and my epidural worked perfectly. I don't see how it could be true, to be honest.

 

[Sun_Flower]

They examined this on Mythbusters and proved it to be false - in fact the redheads they tested tolerated pain for longer than the other people they tested. They also found that women who have gone through labour have MUCH higher pain tolerances than men, and women who haven't gone through labour

 

[amerikiwi]

I have spoken with an anasthegiolist who said that red-heads do tend to require more medicine to be effective as they tend to be drug resistant. Here's an article summarizing a study that found the same thing:

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/487261

As for pain tolerance, I've always heard the opposite--that redheads have a higher pain tolerance. (a quick search shows lots of studies on both sides so seems the jury is still out on this one). I have red hair and personally made it through labour/delivery without drugs but every labour is different and I'm not ruling anything out.

At least second deliveries tend to be shorter and easier no matter what the hair colour.

 

[SIEGAL]

Im a readhead and the epidural worked fine for me....sorry you had such a rough time

 

[XxChristinexX]

Oh bloody hell, where is the hair dye?? hehe

I don`t think there is any truth in this, at least I HOPE NOT!

 

[ljo1984]

ive got red hair naturally (lol) and my epidural was fine. and i put up with a pitocin drip for quite a long time before giving in so i hope the high pain tolerance is more correct! i want a home birth with just gas and air this time! argh!

 

[Nyn]

wow never heard that! I've got red hair (strawberry blonde/red) and I had an epidural with my first.. worked perfectly!

Had my second naturally and if I have a low pain tolerance then I think I did pretty well

x

 

[FeistyMom]

My grandmother had red hair, and she had a HUGE tolerance for pain, which was good because none of the painkillers available at the time worked for her - novacaine, morphine, etc - they might as well have been water. So their might be some truth to it, they find odd genetic links to all kinds of things!

 

[gingerclaire]

Im a redhead
Im due in 3days with my 1st
so I will let you guys know

 

[MegzyAngel]

I've had red hair since the day I was born (Was an inch long hehe) and find some pains im able to cope with better than others.
I havn't been through labour yet so unable to comment that way, but heart burn i get sometimes is intollerable where as when i broke my collarbone when i was a kid i was still running around wrestling people (Was rather a tomboy growing up) and it didnt bother me.

 

[Ali90]

I am a red head and have two completely natural labours with absolutely no pain relief, not even gas and air. This was out of choice. I would say my pain threshold is much higher than even I had expected but this may only relate to labour, not sure how i'd cope with other sorts of pain.

 

[AshleyNichole]

im a redhead and my epi worked fine, they had to thread it twice, but it worked. too much actually.

 

[nervouspains]

Im a red head and had 2 epidurals they didnt touch me... I had a spinal block in the end as I had a c-sec and it worked straight away xx

 

[SIEGAL]

As red heads we often have extremely fair and sensitive skin. The worst part of the epidural is the rash I had when they took off the tape (they tape ur entire back) either from the chemicals or the ripping of the skin. Im serious it was the worst rash of my life, two dermatoligists and their nurses gasped when they saw it, it spread b/c i couldnt stop scratching it from my butt to my shoulders. I was miserable and crying for days as I couldnt sleep. I needed two rounds of steroids and steroid cream. I am telling you this so you can try to request some special tape perhaps or at least let your dr. know and the second u get rashy get the steriods quick.

 

[NaturalMomma]

I'm a blonde (but have a red-headed child) and my pain tolerance is low. So I think it is a person to person thing.

 

[diz]

I'm a redhead and I can't say about pain meds, but my pain threshold must be quite high as I gave birth without any medication...not even gas and air?

 

[Jims_Girl]

This made me giggle!
What does the colour of your hair have to do with tolerance to pain or the pharmacology of drugs??!
I'm a red head - I'm pretty sure that my circulatory system and nervous system works in the same way as a blonde - or someone with brown eyes
I don't normally need pain relief... I have broken bones without needing drugs too...
So I think your doctor might have been talking a bit of rubbish

 

[cranberry987]

ive not given birth but im a red head and have quite a high pain tolerance, my chiropractor can do anything which usually makes ppl whimper and im like ooh that feels a bit pokey maybe. hubby is also a ging and hes a total wimp tho, so there you go. proven and disproven!

i have heard theres some research out there about pain and redheads, can never remember which way round it fell tho