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Pain relief during labour and birth: what did you have and what was it like?
DanielleMFM
admin
Hi everyone,
We’re wondering what pain relief you had during your labour and birth and what was it like? Did it help with your pain? And did you suffer any side effects?
We’d love to hear about your experience of the many drugs on offer during labour and birth and what you’d recommend, so please do tell us all about it by replying to this thread. 
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Replies
I had gas and air (just made me feel dizzy and away with the fairies!), then pethidine and an epidural - the pethidine really worked, but i felt high as a kite and it made me shiver and shake uncontrollably which worried my midwife as she'd never seen it do this to anyone before - happened with my second birth too!
Have to say the epidural was terrific - i was terrified i wouldn't be able to feel my legs but that's not the case at all.
I was adamant I didn't want opiates, I'd had morphine before and it made me scratch myself raw once it started to wear off.
But when I arrived at the hospital the midwife offered me pethidine and said she had never known anyone have the itching like you can get with morphine. It's amazing stuff! I definitely recommend it. It just made it all hurt so much less and stopped me screaming at poor hubby.
Then when I got closer to baby being born I had gas and air.
Between those I found that it really didn't hurt that much. Or maybe I was just too high to care about the pain! But if there's a next time I'll do exactly the same again (fingers crossed)
I used a TENS machine and LOVED it. We had planned a home birth and did go in just before my daughter was born due to concerns about her heart rate, but virtually all of my labour was at home. I think being so relaxed really made a difference- otherwise I am sure I would have needed drugs!
With my first I had gas and air and then pethidine, which was amazing, but slowed everything down.
The second was only gas and air as by the time I got to the hospital she was well on her way.
And the third, gas and air, which made me feel really drunk and silly. Asked my husband where his wedding ring was, and I was holding his right hand, ooops. And then the mw took the gas and air off me to push her out as I was too high.