Pethidine

[enceinte2012]

Just wondering if anyone is considering using this in their home birth? I am going to try not to and am using hypnobirthing and a tens machine with that in mind. However, midwife came for home visit yesterday and started talking about 3rd degree tears and freaked me out a bit. I'm just thinking if the pain gets too much maybe pethidine might help me avoid a transfer to hospital - mw also said most common reasons for transfer in 1st time mums is under estimation of the pain level and meconium in waters. Any thoughts?

 

[Pixles]

I had a hospital birth with my first, and was given a pre-labour shot of pethadine.....

This time, booked a homebirth, said to her, how do i get my pethadine for just incase. and she said. they have stoped carrying the injection to help slowed breathing at birth, so cant carry pethadine because one common side affect is breathing issues at birth, so without the antidote, they cant give it.. Then she told me I dont need it! smiles and said. you can just murder my hand.

Ask your midwife if she still carrys it? because then, you dont have to worrie about it. you can get stronger painkillers from the Drs for your homebirth if you think you may need something stronger than paracetamole.

homebirthing has a lower rate of medication needs anyways. =) you can do this! =P just concentrate on the noise of the gas&air!

 

[lozzy21]

Just wondering if anyone is considering using this in their home birth? I am going to try not to and am using hypnobirthing and a tens machine with that in mind. However, midwife came for home visit yesterday and started talking about 3rd degree tears and freaked me out a bit. I'm just thinking if the pain gets too much maybe pethidine might help me avoid a transfer to hospital - mw also said most common reasons for transfer in 1st time mums is under estimation of the pain level and meconium in waters. Any thoughts?

The pethadine may stop you being transferred in labour but it can make baby sleepy so they need extra help once born and you might end up getting transferred in anyway.

 

[enceinte2012]

Ok so I'm not going to go for the pethidine then. You are right, I can do this godammit! I think MW just freaked me out talking about 3rd degree tears etc. I CAN and WILL try my best to have a natural home birth!

 

[Pielette]

I agree with the others, I told the midwife not to bring pethidine to my birth because I didn't want to be tempted. I don't like the possible effects of it.

I can tell you I didn't even think of it in labour. It didn't cross my mind. You'll be fine! Birth doesn't have to be scary, mine was amazing and I had no pain relief

 

[summer rain]

In this area if you want pethidine for your home birth a doctor has to specially prescribe it shortly beforehand, even still most midwives say they would not be comfortable administering it-so it isn't really an option xx

 

[Impet Limpet]

I was going to ask my MW for some just in case the pain was worse than I imagined, I want to avoid it due to the respiratory depressive effect, BUT I didn't want to be transferred for the sake of needing to have that.

She said they don't carry it nowadays, I would have the dr prescribe it beforehand, although she said some GPs will no longer do that (due to abuse of it if it is not used - sold onto addicts etc), in which case the second MW would collect some from the hospital on the way to my home (its a 5min drive away).

She then mentioned it was actually uncommon (less than 10% overall - including those who did transfer to hospital) for people to need pethidine at a home birth and she's pretty confident that if I use my TENS machine and the water pool I hired to it's benefit and combined with the fact I will be much more relaxed at home I should sail through.

I found this study too https://www.homebirth.org.uk/homebirth2.htm made me feel a little more confident that pain wouldn't completely take me over.

So I opted no pethidine.