Homebirth and pethidine

[justkitty]

Planning a homebirth - got my assessment this week

Was originally planning on no medication except maybe gas and air but I'm wondering if it's worth requesting pethidine so if I want it then it's available to me.

What do you think? What are your experiences?

 

[NuKe]

hiya! my own preference is not to have pethedine... the fact it crosses the placenta really puts me off, and have known lots of ladies get it and the baby be really sleepy for days afterwards. not for me, but i think you can request it for a hb? not too sure!

 

[Mervs Mum]

Me personally I didn't want it because I'd had it before and hate it. I was happy knowing the G&A was there if I wanted it. Its very rare for it to be requested for homebirths and even rarer for it but be adminstered . NICE rate submersion in water as better pain relief than opiates anyway.....

 

[loobylou29]

WOW I was really relying on pethedine for my homebirth as i just assumed it was quite run of the mill I havent even asked my midwife about it, just assumed as everyone said that you can have gas and air and pethedine. It really got me through the last stages in my other labours and am not sure if I will be able to do a home birth without it What makes it so rare Merv is it location or whether you choose private or not? thanks xoxox

 

[loobylou29]

Oh and forgot to mention that im not going to be using a birthing pool as for some reason I freak out in the water during labour lol, I dont like not being able to bear down if you know what I mean x

 

[bbyno1]

I had pethadine and gas & air with Aliyah.
I didn't know much about it back then and the midwife didn't tell me much about it before giving it to me i was screaming for an epi but she gave me that instead and i was in so much pain that i just said YES DO IT. Stupid of me thinking back now..

Anyway..I hated it at the time. Felt so drunk and not with it. Felt as though i could feel the pain just as much but i was spaced out iykwim? But thinking back,im sure it helped coz i lost track of time and before i knew it i was ready to push.

Not sure if my post makes much sence

 

[Mervs Mum]

WOW I was really relying on pethedine for my homebirth as i just assumed it was quite run of the mill I havent even asked my midwife about it, just assumed as everyone said that you can have gas and air and pethedine. It really got me through the last stages in my other labours and am not sure if I will be able to do a home birth without it What makes it so rare Merv is it location or whether you choose private or not? thanks xoxox

I'm not sure what you mean by private or not honey? Private health care? I haven't ever worked with anyone not using the NHS.....

In most areas you won't have a huge problem getting it prescribed or having mws bring pethadine or meptid so don't worry. If its something you think you would really like to have on hand, you will most likely be able to get some.

I think the reason that it's unusual for it to be used in home births is because women tend to have either had it before and not liked it or decide they really want to avoid anything that may affect the baby. Meptid is thought to be better for that reason and I have had a client use it at home and it worked well to relax her. But for the most part the main reason is that women tend to feel the fact they are at home will make them feel more relaxed and better able to work with the intensity of their labours. 3 quarters of women I've supported of which the majority were at home, have given birth very happily without even gas and air and I believe that's down to feeling relaxed which is necessary to allow your body to birth easily.

 

[loobylou29]

YAY thats great news merv I was really freaking out for a min there lol, ive never heard of meptid before but im open to try anything thats healthier for my LO, maybe a bit of reasearch this morning and I'll ask my midwife about it at my next appointment, hopefully she will bring both so ive still got the peth as a back up as i dont want to end up in the hospital just because im a wimp lol Oh and I said private coz ive heard a couple of others are getting private midwives to ensure a homebirth, maybe they get special stuff lol. thanks for the helpful advice merv xxx

 

[Mervs Mum]

A private Mw won't 'ensure' you have a home birth but it will free you from protocol that the NHS mws have to follow? Of course it's well known that having a doula or inde Mw will increase your chances of achieving a home birth, but no one can guarentee the path a labour will take - just stack the odds in yur favour iykwim.

Re meptid/pethadine - They will use either one of the two rather than both many areas are moving away from pethadine as its known to cause issues for babies.

 

[loobylou29]

thanks merv I will defo have another think about which one I will choose, if there is an option, as I am pretty sure that when I had my DS in june I dont remember being given a choice unless maybe I have to specifically requst it. Defo wont be getting a doula or going private tho as with this being number 4 the doula would prolly only end up babysitting or cooking tea or something lol xoxox

 

[kcj2008]

Hi I just wanted to add that I like yourself was concerned that I would not cope at home with limited pain relief after 2 hospital inductions with failed epidurals. However I hired myself an independant midwife who was great, and managed my 3rd labour with only 2 puffs on the contraction before I started pushing, i was well and truely shocked.

I used a Tens machine throughout which was great and just stayed upright rather than laying down, it is true that homebirths are far more relaxing thus you feel in far less pain. Good Luck xx

 

[Mervs Mum]

thanks merv I will defo have another think about which one I will choose, if there is an option, as I am pretty sure that when I had my DS in june I dont remember being given a choice unless maybe I have to specifically requst it. Defo wont be getting a doula or going private tho as with this being number 4 the doula would prolly only end up babysitting or cooking tea or something lol xoxox

I think you might have misunderstood. What I meant was, IF they do adminster those types of drugs at home births in your area, you won't have a choice of this one or that one, they will just say 'no we dont' or 'yes you need to get a prescription for XXXX from your GP' or 'yes we bring it with us and it will be.....' ie THEY decide which particluar one they use locally.

 

[loobylou29]

Ahhhhhh another quick question then if you dont mind merv, do midwives at the docs etc have the same access to drugs as they do on the maternity ward? I know that you get what your given at a homebirth, but do some hospitals have both do you think? Or is it the same situation at the hospital ie. if you can only have peth at home then thats all you could have had at hospital anyway? I really dont like the idea that I cant choose for myself although I will still be having my homebirth whether meptid or peth xoxoxox

 

[Mervs Mum]

It will be what ever they have decided to use as standard in that trust. You are unlikely to get to choose but worth asking

 

[bettny]

my midwife wont bring it, just gas and air.
every1 ive asked have said they didnt react well to it so thinking just as well if its not there i may not ask for it as ive dead set against goin to hospital unless baby needs to