I know two people who I've spoken to who sing the praises of pethadine. One of them was high as a kite and laughing when she got to pushing because the midwives overestimated how long she had left in Labour. But she highly *ahem* recommends it. And the other is my mum who insists pethadine is the way to go.

The thing is each person is individual and all you can do is find out as much as possible and all the pros and cons of each drug/pain killer. You know yourself better than other people. Are you inclined to feel sick? Do you think you'll want to move around? Are you happy in the water? How natural do you want to go? Also you need to bear in mind that pethidine will cross the placenta to your baby and an epidural does increase the likelihood of a longer labour and interception. Also, the more tense you are about birth the more likely your contractions will be more painful as they progress and labour will last longer. So you need to weigh up how naturally afraid you are of the whole process too.

Think that goes for anything in labour tbh. Your 1 having to birth your baby, you need to do in way you feel best with

I had pethidine, im sure amber was born within less than 4hrs from me having it, i dont recall feeling out of it by time id had her, felt pretty much normal again aprt from being extrememly exhausted lol!

Iv told him that stuff should be available in shops to buy, love it lol!

I'd say you never know until you're there, in the flow of it and this is my thinking. I really don't know what to expect so i'm going in with an 'idea' of what I want but I don't want it set in stone so I won't be disappointed or upset if it doesn't go to plan. I've considered an epi and I'm quite prepared to have one if I can't cope but I've ruled out Pethindine. That's a personal decision and I wouldn't allow myself to be influenced by anyone because everyone is different. Pethidine is a morphine based drug and I had morphine before, 5mg advised dosage , they got to 3mg and stopped because I was barely lucid by that point. I reacted really badly to the morphine and wouldn't want to feel like that again. At the end of the day it's what you feel comfprtable with, but I know what you mea about being confused. It's mind-boggling! xx

I think with Pethadine it isn't really about the effect it has on you, more what it could have on your baby... that is the thing to be cautious of.

QT

If I'm honest, I love opiates (codeine based pain killers are great!) and imagine I'd LOVE pethidine, just rather not have it whilst there's a baby in me, although I reserve the right to change my mind under extreme duress. (read: long labour).

I think they should give me pethidine after I have the baby as a reward.

Now that I wouldn't mind trying!

Might have to settle for a couple of glasses of chilled champagne instead (now that also sounds fairly good! )

QT

So THATS why you are called RedPoppy??!!

This is the gist of my birth plan: EPIDURAL.


Unless of course I have a super quick start to labour where I dilate like a centimeter per minute, I will probably take the epidural and that's about it.

I'd like it to be just me, my DH, my doc, and her nurses.

I went into labor with my first when I was young, I had just turned 18 and pain relief honestly didn't cross my mind. I didn't plan ahead like that as I wasn't sure what I would need, want etc... and until they broke my waters around 5-6 hours after being at the hospital I didn't need anything It wasn't bad at all, mind you I wasn't dilating as fast as I had hoped so that is why they broke my waters. I was 4cm and then BOOM! Pain kicked in and I wanted pain meds. I got the gas and I will never get that again! It did nothing for me whatsoever other than make me "high" and did nothing for the pain. I then was asking for the epidural and they kept telling me to hold off a little longer until I was further dilated. By the time the anesthesiologist came into my room to finally give me the epidural I was ready to push. I was 1cm on arrival around 7:30am, waters were broke around 12:30-1pm (at 4cm) and at 3:30 I was 10cm and pushing. 20 minutes later my son was born with the help of an episiotomy (I was numbed down there prior to the cut so I felt nothing) and it was great. My labor went pretty well for no plans With your first child I think it is easier to go with the flow because you never know what you will end up going through, how slow or fast your labor will be etc... You might not need anything for the pain

For my second pregnancy I had wrote down a few things to bring in to the hospital as a "kind of" plan. I said I would be open to the epidural if I felt it was needed, no vacuum or forceps unless absolutely necessary and that I wanted as many people to witness the birth as possible. That ended in an emergency c-section with devastating results so nothing in there was needed and this time I am having a scheduled c-section so not much I can really choose there either.

As for the water birth, didn't have one but I did go into the hot tub thing for a few minutes when in labor with my first and I didn't like it, but everyone is different Some love it and some don't.

Best of luck to you!! I sure hope things work out the way you want and you have a nice and easy labor!

HAHA! It's actually not at all. Although that makes me sound like a smack fiend now!