I didn't until I was admitted to get induced. My mom said inductions are brutal and that before starting pitocin I should know my med options, so the doctor went over 5-6 different pain meds I could take if I needed them. I thought that was cool since I guess I had never considered anything other than an epi and knew I didn't really want that.
I didn't end up using pain meds but I kinda wonder if I should have, and I might have had a less traumatic experience.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
I asked my doula about this and she said that she didn't recommend any of those other options, but we never went into detail about it. Did they sound like good options?
cantaloupe / 6146 posts
Yes. I took one of them and it ROCKED. Unfortunately my labor was so long that it wore off well before I was pushing.
It was like... I could still feel EVERYTHING but I didn't care that it hurt. I was just happy in this really bizarre way. I would definitely get it again next time--especially if I have a shorter labor next time.
ETA: Due to the potential side effects I could not get a second dose. And they can't give it within an hour of birth (like they can tell when that will be).
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@Andrea: the only one I can remember off the top of my head was demerol and that's what the OB recommended. I would have trusted him because he was a VERY naturally minded doctor. But I didn't really ask about specifics...
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@pastemoo: do you remember which one you had? I want to keep this in mind for when I have #2!
cantaloupe / 6146 posts
@Mrs. Pen: Demerol sounds similar... but no. I thought it started with an M. Or maybe it was opium (I jest).
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Yup, I learned about them in my childbirth classes! I tried a few of them before I got my epidural
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@autumnlove: did any of them work well? (I'm assuming no, since you got the epi)
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
@Mrs. Pen: @Andrea: Heck no...but my body has a strange resistance to pain meds. 
Tried fentanyl, nubain and one more before the epidural.
honeydew / 7917 posts
I heard about them in my childbirth class, but the options didn't seem appealing. The instructor was very much pro natural birth with no medication so she may have made it sound much worse.
honeydew / 7589 posts
I usually don't recommend them to my clients because they can react weirdly with some people and make them feel loopy, out of it, and sometimes not have memories of the birth. They can also sometimes cause nausea, and still don't totally take the pain away. Plus, IV pain medications get into the baby's system, so they aren't as safe as the epidural for that reason. Epidurals don't make groggy babies.
I instead recommend waiting as long as possible so that you can move around during early labor, and then having an epidural that can be turned down when it comes time to push so you can feel your body's natural urges to push.
That's what I would do, if I was going to use pain medication. Epidurals aren't that bad if you wait till you're further on, and you run less risk of having it stall labor and requiring pitocin.
bananas / 9118 posts
Yes, birth class gave us explanations about other options... I was very against IV pain meds going into childbirth (due to concerns about side effects with the baby), I figured if I was going to get pain management then I may as well go for the epidural.
Well, a higher power had a sense of humor and decided to teach me a lesson in never say never! I asked for the epidural at 7 cm but the anesthesiologist was MIA for an hour an a half, so finally I shouted for pain meds- they have me Nubain... It made life a lot nicer, I could still feel pressure, but wasn't feeling like I was being split in half anymore. I got the epidural shortly after, but contractions weren't bad at all during placement, which had been a big fear for me.
pomegranate / 3516 posts
I had half a dose of Nubain because I didn't have time for an epidural but I needed something. It didn't take away any of the pain but it allowed me to relax better in between contractions so that I would have the strength to push. I was pretty much taking naps in between contractions.
Even though I was relaxed it took away zero of the pain. Although I am grateful that I gave birth so fast that they said there wasn't any time for the Nubain to affect LO (they said she might be sleepy).
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
@Mrs. Pen: @autumnlove: ah, I remember what my doula said now. She said exactly what happened to @autumnlove. If you go in trying to avoid an epi, but then start with one of the other drugs, you're more likely to end up with an epi. "One intervention leads to another intervention" were her exact words. So that's why she didn't go into detail about any of the drugs.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
I had something given to me before I got my epi and I hated it. I felt loopy and sleepy. It wasn't fun and it didn't wear off quickly at all. I wish I had just waited for the epi.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
I respond really well to pain medications in general, except morphine. I'm aware there are others but I haven't researched them and I won't know if I even want them or need them until the day of
honeydew / 7687 posts
They offered them but I didn't want anything that could make baby sleepy. I've also not done well with narcotics in the past and didn't want to be sick! I had an epi after I was to a 5 and it worked perfectly- slept 2 hrs woke up at a ten and pushed for less than an hour.
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
Nubian is th most popular one. But IV pain meds get into baby's system where the epi doesn't do I didn't want any.
persimmon / 1026 posts
I could not have an epi due to having scoliosis and corrective back surgery when I was younger. I was given Fentanyl and was on that for several hours. I would press a button when I needed more and I could give myself more every 15 minutes or so. It didn't necessarily help with the pain (though I had horrible back labor) but it made me very relaxed between contractions so I could at least take a breath and prepare for the next one. I was concerned the meds would make me sick (I hate throwing up) but they did not make me nauseous at all.
The major downside to taking this med was that the NICU doctors had to check my LO as soon as he was born to ensure he was breathing okay and that the meds did not affect him. They checked him over for a couple minutes and then I was allowed to hold him. He was groggy that day but the nurses said it wasn't anything out of the ordinary (he was still eating fine).
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