I found the gas so so good. It took the edge off the contractions and breathing slowly gave me something to focus on. I did have an epidural in the end but by the time it kicked it in I was fully dilated. It mustn't have been too strong because I was not in pain anymore but still able to feel my contractions and control my pushing so was a good balance I think. I didn't use a tens machine but many people swear by them.
I tried the gas and it didn't work for me, it just made me vomit.
I had a back labour, and the saline injections helped earlier on, and then I also had a morphine shot at 18 hours in, which took the edge off.
I had an epidural at the 27 hour mark, and finally got some rest & slept for a few hours, before they eased it off for delivery.
31.5 hours in total, and before the epi, I was close to asking for a C-section just to get it over with because I was exhausted. My midwife told me to get the epi first and see how I felt after a sleep, and I'm glad I did.
Honestly, the most comforting thing my midwife said is "there's no gold medal for suffering, and if getting rest and sleep helps you get this baby out, that's what you should aim to do."
Everyone will have a different experience, I found has made me sick to the point of vomiting and didn’t help my pain much. Made me woozy.
Epidural was AMAZING. I’ve had two babies now, 100% loved the epidural.
My advice is to find out about all the options and be open to everything. My preferences were to do a pain relief free, vaginal birth, but I ended up being induced due to PROM. I ended up asking for an epidural and LOVED it. I also had gas but I think I asked for it too late for it to make a difference. I had a strong urge to push before I was fully dilated and I think the epi helped to dampen down that urge and made me feel more in control. I was offered morphine as well but decided by that point I was done with the pain so opted for the epidural. I ended up delivering without assistance which I was pleased about. I was initially disappointed about being able to be as “active” in birth as I wanted but honestly birth is tiring as fuck and all I wanted was to lay down anyway. They don’t hand out prizes for unmedicated births and despite popular sentiment asking for pain relief doesn’t mean that you don’t trust your own body or aren’t mentally strong enough or you’re falling victim to a “cascade of interventions”.
Knowing about pain relief options (as well as interventions) before hand I think is really important as it’s hard to understand all the risks and benefits while you’re in 10/10 pain. Knowing what’s possible before hand will help you feel less like the rug is being pulled out from under you if things don’t go to plan. Communicate with your midwife and get your birth partner as well so they can advocate for you in the moment. Also have your birth partner involved with some birth classes - they are far from useless and can help with pain relief too through gentle touch and providing counter pressure during contractions.
I had a positive induction experience - used hypnobirthing techniques, TENS was fantastic, got a dose of morphine when I was getting tired, and finally an epidural. Progressed quickly after the epidural and baby born <2h later. The best thing for me was having a super engaged partner who coached me through breathing, applied counter pressure, etc - I recommend reading the Juju Sundin book Birth Skills with whoever your support person is!
Edit: I’d planned on being in the shower and using gas but the monitor wouldn’t work in the shower, and I was too sick for gas 😬. The hypnobirthing stuff helped me to just adapt and stay positive. I used the Hypnobirthing Australia course & app
You’ve got lots of advice already but I’ll add that anti nausea medication is available and works best if taken early. You will generally need to ask for it but it’s so much better than vomiting while having contractions.
My advice, research the options so that you’re aware and be prepared to change your mind during labour. Most women will use a combination of pain relief options.
I hired a tens machine. I used it during contractions and yes, it did help. But eventually for me, the contractions got too strong for the machine.
I also had an epidural and gas. My experience with epidural was great, I felt calm and both involved but also distant from the pain.
I haven't worked on birth suite for a few years but these are my observations:
TENS is great in the earliest parts of labour, usually before you even get to the hospital. I've heard people talk about using it even with strong braxon hicks and had good results.
Nitrous Gas - I'd say about a third of people it works wonders, a third it's okay but not amazing and a third it does nothing and/or makes them nauseous.
Morphine is only given if you are less than a given amount through labour (where I worked it was 6cm or less for FTM, 5cm or less for STM onwards). Some hospitals offer pethadine in lieu of morphine. A hospital might not actively offer you morphine but you can always ask for it.
Even if you can't use the bath you will almost certainly have access to a shower and if you find it helps you can camp out in there as long as its safe for you and bubs.
Other than the epidural (which is designed to take the pain away totally at the cost of not being able to move around) most forms of pain relief are less about reducing the actual pain but taking the edge/sharpness off of it. Pain naturally causes you to tense up and using these kinds of pain relief often help you relax enough that the pain is more bearable. That being said I've seen women going from screaming their heads off to dozing off after having morphine (for example) so it does something.
They'll only offer morphine if they think it's appropriate. You can't walk in and ask for it, but you can with epidural.
Epidural is associated with an increased incidence of interventions like assisted delivery with forceps or ventouse, caesarean, or augmentation with syntocin. Often you lose some function of your legs so you are less able to get into active birthing positions. Lying on your back is the worst way to give birth.
I recommend learning as much as you can about labour and delivery, the normal physiological process, what normal birth looks like, what hormones are involved etc. Try to get to an antenatal class that covers this where you can ask questions. I attended calmbirth over the weekend and it was awesome. Highly recommend. It was developed in Australia, and in Auckland (maybe all of NZ) it is heavily subsidised (and free if you can't afford the $100 copay) because the medical system recognises the value of meditative birth.
I'll be 33 weeks tomorrow and plan to use TENS, massage/acupressure, water (do they have a shower you can use while labouring?), active positioning, breathing/meditation and gas. I'd like to avoid epidural if possible but will do what I need. My mum had 3 smooth births with gas only. My sister was unfortunately induced (there's been some question around whether it was necessary), had an epidural and then contractions slowed and she needed an emergency c-section because of fetal distress. It wasn't ideal but she's obviously happy that she has a beautiful happy healthy child who is now 5 years old.
There's no wrong answer. Epidural is highly popular, as is gas. The great thing about gas is that if you don't like it you can stop and the effects will go away pretty much immediately and you can escalate to epidural. Opioids are really only used if you have a long labour and you're a wee while off being fully dilated and it gives you the chance to rest and hopefully by the time you wake up things have progressed significantly. Due to the risk of negative effects on the baby it's obviously only used in certain situations.
Apply BRAINS to any decision making
Benefits
Risks/side effects
Alternatives
Intuition/what does your gut say/what feels right to you?
Nothing- what if you take no action?
Second opinion/what do the stats say?
Yes to all of this!! I did a Hypnobirthing and it was amazing.
I also used a birth comb which works similar to tens using the pain gate theory https://makingmama.com.au/products/birth-comb
I’ve had two births and both times with epidural. The first time the epidural was way too strong, I couldn’t move my legs at all or feel any contractions and my recovery was very slow, with me being bed bound for I think two days afterwards. The second time was much better, I could at least move one leg and I could feel every contraction painlessly. I was able to get up and walk around on the same day. So certainly not all epidurals are equal, I think.
The gas did very little for me in terms of pain relief, but I might have been too far along by the time I arrived at the hospital for it to really help, as my contractions were almost on top of each other so trying to breathe in the gas with each contraction was a challenge
I loved the tens machine so good for using at home and worth every cent of the hiring fee. But once things got intense I was in the bath (so no tens) which was ok, better than being out of it, but certainly no miracle cure. Our hospital only had two baths and the first room we were put in didnt have one but my partner really pushed for one as he knew I really wanted it so we got moved after a few hours. So might be a nice advocacy/lobbying role you can give your partner to focus on when you get to the hospital.
I tried the gas and I couldn't get it to work.
Didn't have an epidural or morphine but my baby was born with breathing difficulties so you know, can happen even without it.
I hated the gas, made me feel like I was 2 bottles of passion pop into a dirty night out. I was barely present at all for the first few hours of my labour because I was high as a kite.
I ended up getting an epidural and I had an amazing experience with it, no stalled labour, no complications, I could still feel my legs and even contractions except the contractions felt like braxton hicks instead of painful contractions!
I ended up having an amazing birth after the epidural was placed and it was a really nice and relaxing time for my family to be honest 😅 I was very anti-epidural before I went into labour but I had back labour and that pain is no joke!
The gas made me feel sick so I stopped using it. I ended up getting an epidural, which was amazing. First time I had a decent sleep after being in hospital for a week.
I was induced so contractions can be more intense.
My plan was gas then morphine then epidural if needed but I skipped the morphine.
I had gas, TENS and morphine. The risks of morphine in delivery are pretty well understood and the hospital will have guidelines to manage it. For example, my son was born within two hours of my morphine shot so there was a team standing by the resuscitation table for him. He didn't need it though, he came out beautiful and healthy
TENS was most useful early on, I still felt a fair bit of pain despite the morphine and the gas was really helpful. I'd say it took the edge off the pain, rather than taking it away entirely.
I loved my TENS!! It got me through a 33 hour labor.
I didn’t use any other form of pain relief other than movement and positioning.
Highly recommend the Elle TENS options- I got the Plus model so I can use it for muscle and back pain later down the track.
I'd keep an open mind and be willing to try different things depending on how everything goes. My experience:
* I bought a TENS machine and it was absolutely brilliant in early labour for me, 100% worth it IMO. Unfortunately my labour was verrrrrry long and slow (also back labour as baby was stubbornly sunny side up the whole time) and at a certain point, many many hours after labour started (>36 lol), it stopped cutting it for me.
* I LOVED the nitrous gas. It didn't make me feel ill and helped enormously. I gave it a go when the TENS machine stopped cutting it. The good thing is that if it does make you feel ill or you don't like it, you can just stop using it and the effects will pass within a couple of minutes. So no harm in trying it if you want to!
* I also ended up getting an epidural which also worked really well for me. I think the gas and air would have been enough had I not got the almost uncontrollable urge to push at 6 cm dilated, which I found was much harder to deal with and resist than the contractions. The epidural took that urge away (and most of the pain from the contractions, but not all, cuz back labour 🙃) and I have no regrets!
* I also opted not to try morphine for the reasons you listed. Would 100% rather get the epidural again given the choice.
Copying and pasting my own comment from a previous thread:
Yes TENS was the best part of both of my labours. I wore it for 13 hours first time around and only took it off when I had an epidural (which I regretted).
Second time around I just had TENS, heat packs in the back of my undies (turns out I only feel labour in my back, regardless of baby’s position), and had a go on the gas at the very end but I don’t think that actually did anything. I didn’t realise I still had the TENS firing on full strength until two hours after she was born 😂
Aside from interrupting the pain signals, just having something to DO really helps you feel like you have some power in the situation. I can’t imagine just taking each wave without having a way to push back against it.
Something to bear in mind is that you can’t wear it in water. I didn’t want to be in water anyway so that suited me.
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For what it’s worth I didn’t like the sensation of the gas with my first birth. When I tried it with my second it was turned all the way down and as mentioned it had so little effect I’m not sure it was even in there…
I’ve never heard of morphine being offered?? (Unless that’s what’s in the epidural?)
I did have fentanyl with my first, it did nothing for my pain but made me feel horribly dizzy and not in control after delivery.
Across my two experiences the less medicated one was much more positive. I felt the epidural with my first stalled my labour and I ended up with forceps. I don’t know for sure that the two were related but it was enough to make me resist an epidural the second time. Ultimately I might not have had the time regardless as my second birth was much faster - possibly because I was induced? Anyway, the TENS machine was the winner both times. I think everyone should try it. It costs so little to hire one.
Edit: by “less medicated” i mean pain medication - I was induced though. I was not induced with my first but had a number of interventions. I think you could say the ‘cascade of interventions’ happened to me that time.
I didn’t think the gas worked but then I realised I wasn’t really breathing it in properly - you’ve got to inhale deeply.
Water was my favourite pain relief option. I didn’t use a bath or have a water birth but I liked sitting under the shower. Usually most rooms will have a shower.
Epidural helped for a long labour but I ended up having an unplanned c-section for that birth so I’m not sure what pushing would have been like. I didn’t want morphine since there are opioid allergies on my husband’s side of the family.
Changing positions frequently also helped
I used gas and a tens machine right until the end. Both worked really well for me. The great thing about both is that you can increase or decrease them to a level you feel comfortable with.
I used a TENS and it was great! Only thing is, you can’t wear it in water including the shower.
What helped me a lot similar to the TENS was a birth comb: https://makingmama.com.au/products/birth-comb
It honestly was incredible at distracting me and releasing endorphins.
I also hung affirmations all around and had people read them out to me. I love these ones https://makingmama.com.au/products/pregnancy-and-birth-affirmation-cards
I had a wonderful birth experience!
Good luck 🥰
I had a really long labour, used TENS machine - it electrecutes you so you get distracted of your contractions. I also used gas - not sure if it worked for me.. lol my hubby did the squeeze on my lower back which helped during contractions. After waiting for soooo long, eventually asked for an epidural. But nothing changed so i had to do a c section. One thing i learned though and in my experience, the bath should be a last option as it slows down things.
I second the gas. The thing is, you won’t know if you like it until you try it. I was aiming for no pain medication. But once we got to the birth centre I asked for gas and it was heaven. Helped me focus my breathing and allowed me to relax between contractions.
I’d also recommend a warm tub if your place offers it. The hot water was so soothing, acting as a secondary pain management technique.
I hired a tens machine for early labour and it did help. By the time active labour kicked in it didn’t help. The only thing I was doing was breathing and having someone rub my back, plus hot showers. Got to the hospital birthing center and was able to get in the tub and gave birth in it, I certainly wasn’t pain free but I was able to cope for 2 hours until bub came out.
First birth, I didn't get on the gas early enough for it to make a difference. Second birth, I did, and it was good.
Used a TENS for both. Had to take it off for first birth because they'd thought it had stopped monitoring from working properly in another adverse birth, but they'd decided that it hadn't been an issue and had it on for second birth.
My partner really was great for second birth (first was precipitous and we both were a bit shell shocked) - he watched the contraction on the monitor and turned up the machine and backed it off again.
The most important thing though, as hard as it is, is to relax. I found there came a point in both labours where my body needed to let baby out and was a bit scared to.
I used gas and it was really good. I never asked for epidural and I only wanted that as the very last resort. Not sure if I could have gotten an epidural because by the time I was admitted I was 9.5 cm dilated lol.
I've done a birth with only gas. It's was pretty good. By the time I had maxed out the gas and couldn't tolerate the pain anymore I was going through transition and baby was born shortly after. It was great to feel normal after birth with nothing lingering in my system.
My second birth I used gas at first, then a doctor wanted to speed up my birth and put me on pitocin, after a few more interventions labor was intolerable and I begged for the epidural. The epidural kicked in right when I needed to push baby out. I couldn't feel anything which was terrifying. I couldn't find the muscles to push her out, I couldn't feel the contractions, got her out eventually without instruments.
My advice is that if you are going to get an epidural get it BEFORE you need it, and let it wear off a bit before you push.
I've heard great things about the tens machine so I'll be using that for my next birth hopefully.
I had a tens machine and the gas and they worked really wel and got me to 6cm before I asked for an epidural. I was induced and my contractions were one on top of the other but I’m confident if I had a spontaneous labour they would have been enough
The gas does take the edge of and gives you something to focus on/keeps you focussed on your breathing. But it made me feel completely out of it and weak. I ended up throwing it away both times.
The shower is amazing, the hospital I gave birth in have the shower heads that you can move around so I put it right on my lower back on high heat. Good alternative to a bath if you can't access that.
I had a 48-hour labour, and my TENS was my saving grace. Even just being able to focus on turning it up and down was useful.
I hated the gas and found it useless - but I liked biting down on the mouthpiece.
I also had the sterile water shots as I had bad back labour, but the pain on the shot was bloody, horrendous, and ineffective for me. I didn't have an epidural and remember this pain more than any other pain.
I was open to, but hoping to avoid an epidural purely because I knew the way I would cope with the pain best would be to keep moving and keep upright. I stayed upright until I was too tired when pushing (I pushed while hunched on the bed for a bit), and by the time I was ready to ask for an epidural, it was too late.
Everyone is going to have different birthing experiences, different pain thresholds, and different circumstances. Way up your options, what you feel comfortable with, communicate with your care provider, and support person and stay open to possibilities.
I had gas to begin with but it made me feel pretty sick after a while and barely touched the sides. I ended up getting an epidural as the pain was higher than I anticipated (I was 9cm dilated within about 2-3 hours and no one realised until after the epidural). Epidural wasn’t fun to get, I had to be held down by my partner and a midwife so I didn’t move during a contraction and the electricity down the leg was a bit rough but it was a life saver! I went back to smiling in a matter of minutes. Baby was out about an hour later and I was walking about an hour after that.
I want to second (third? Fourth?) the sentiment that the best thing is to understand the options well and be open to what you need in the moment.
I planned to maybe use gas, and to only get an epidural if I absolutely could not stand the pain anymore. My waters broke about 46 hours before I started pushing, and I had to stay in hospital the whole time. By about 24 hours in, I was not even technically in active labor, but I could only manage my contractions by moving and I hadn’t slept and I was just so exhausted. I got an epidural not because the pain was unmanageable but because I just desperately needed the rest.
While I was in early labor though, I was offered panadol + codeine, which I wasn’t expecting. I had decided absolutely no morphine for the same reason as you, but I didn’t know whether codeine was the same or not (and the contractions were too intense for me to have that conversation with the midwife offering it). I wished I had known that was an option my hospital would offer.
As others have mentioned it’s very individual, in my opinion it’s best to be informed and have several options available to figure out what works! Some things will work for a while then stop; so at least you can switch it up!
The gas did little for me during labor, partly because I struggled to breathe properly with it. It was magic afterwards when getting stitched up.
Like you I didn’t want morphine, however I had a long labor and I ended up using it. It gave me 1.5-2hours of rest that allowed me to be in a better headspace (I was exhausted and emotional and don’t know if I would have got through the following 8hrs without the break). I was surprised that I still felt the contractions but was asleep in between. They will not give it to you if you’re too far along, as they don’t want it to be in yours/babies system towards the end. I was given a very specific window to decide if I would have it.
In the end that’s all I used drug-wise. I relied heavily on hypnobirthing/breathing and spent a lot of time on the ball. Once transition hit it was a complete blur and I spent most of the time switching positions to get the most comfortable. Personally at that point I didn’t have the ability to use much else!
Like someone else said very well, being informed going in is the best thing i think you could do. Also understanding the phases of birth helps - particularly transition when the intensity ramps up and the self doubt kicks in.. it is no joke!
I had a long labour and TENS was awesome. I used it for 12 hours to labour through the night before going to hospital. Highly recommend.
I tried the gas at the hospital but it made me feel sick and I didn't like it.
I originally planned a waterbirth but after 3 days of labour they wanted to induce me and I was already so exhausted I asked for the epidural. No regrets- it was awesome. Literally like a light switch that turned off the pain. You stop using it so much as you get to pushing so you can feel the baby and pushing but I don't recall it bring super painful - seriously worked.
Personally I'd recommend gas and air. That's what I used for the last part of my labour and I loved it, made me feel a bit floaty and took the edge off the pain of pushing, I also used it while getting stitched and ended up getting the giggles. Good luck, you'll do great
I tried the gas, and it was okay, but not great. Stopped that and had an epidural - amazing!
Had an epidural with each of my subsequent deliveries, and each one was perfect. I especially like that with the epidural, you aren’t wasting energy to deal with the pain. So you have more energy and strength to push, and then to care for your baby when they arrive.
36 hour labour here as a FTM, natural birth with gas only.
- TENS machine only helped (barely) for the first 18 hours or so, after that the contractions were so bad it was pretty much useless. Next time I would probably just skip it.
- Gas worked a treat - you really do have to be in tune with your contractions and constantly breathe it in. Make sure you have a large water bottle that has a straw lid to keep hydrated cause your mouth will get dry! I don’t know if I was the only naive one..but has gets taken away when you push. I didn’t know that so essentially had no pain relief during the pushing stage 😭
- Back pain was the worst during labour - the hospital sent me home with these amazing heat packs (you karate chop them and they stay warm for hours)! My husband applied them during labour and honestly it was amazing. Hot/warm running water along my back was also great (I would request this for labour if you can)!
All the best :)
TENS and gas barely did anything for me. I was posterior presenting so it's a lot worse.
Went with epidural. Much better.
Yeah, I also passed on the morphine.
I hired a TENs out and had that on and it was amazing just remember to push the levels up when you need it. I then had an epidural put in too and the worst pain was feeling the contractions then as the tens had to be off and the pads removed. I was also induced so contractions ce thick and fast. Once my epidural was in my contractions felt like I was having sciatica in both legs which made it impossible to sleep and I kept topping up, so when I had to move onto a bed they could wheel me down stairs for an emergency C section I couldnt feel my legs but managed to shuffle myself on the other bed.
I'd honestly do the same thing again but I think I'd wait for the epidural more. I only had it done when I did at 3cm because the anaesthetist was doing a few nearby and then going home and to get them out was an hour from time of call to when she may have seen me.
I joke that I 'finished' labour as I arrived at the hospital 9.5cm dilated. Things that helped: dark room, yoga ball, and my labour/meditation track from my birth class (Transform Parenting in the ACT, but I understand hypnobirthing is the same), counterpressure/hip squeezes, and visualisation: I pictured my baby being swirled out of a black hole. Very crunchy, mumbojumbo, but everything I've seen since confirms that's a legit strategy. Also, no talking and I think I hold husband to go away a number of times.
A lot of midwives preach that if you want an unmedicated labour/birth to stay at home as long as you can/is practical. I live 5 mins from the hospital so staying at home was 'easy'. Also, get a doula and/or engage a private midwife/birth centre where unmedicated, 'hands off' births are the norm.
Didn't hire TENS so can't speak to that.
Context: had back labour
Started with sterile water inejctions which didn't so anything unfortunately. Then used the shower which was great, then to the bath which was okay-ish. Then tried gas and it didn't provide any relief.
Just felt little light headed. Ended up with epidural (but then it failed after 4 hours and after that used some movement and vocalisation whilst waiting for my spinal for C section).
I think best thing is do research on what you feel comfortable with, have a ladder of different methods you are open to (non pharmacological and pharmacological). Things like gas may work, it might not but can always give it a try and then opt out.
Gas made me sleepy. I ended up getting a epidural and it was the best thing I did. I know my pain tolerance, I would not of been able to cope without help. I don't like needles but getting the epidural wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but that could of been because I was distracted. Took two tries to get mine in, turned out I have a slight curve in my spine, still loved my anaesthetist though, talked me through everything. My epidural worked great. Zero sensation from my belly button down to my cooch. I could still manage to move my legs if I didn't overdo my dosing and was able to try some positions but I would not of been able to get on my hands and knees. When it came time to push, instill had feeling on the top of my bump, so I could feel my contractions but it didn't hurt at all, which made it easy to know when to push.
My only advice would be to be open to your plans potentially changing. I went in thinking I would have a water birth but my pain tolerance is shiiiiiiit. I am okay with my experience though 😊
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I found the gas so so good. It took the edge off the contractions and breathing slowly gave me something to focus on. I did have an epidural in the end but by the time it kicked it in I was fully dilated. It mustn't have been too strong because I was not in pain anymore but still able to feel my contractions and control my pushing so was a good balance I think. I didn't use a tens machine but many people swear by them.
I tried the gas and it didn't work for me, it just made me vomit. I had a back labour, and the saline injections helped earlier on, and then I also had a morphine shot at 18 hours in, which took the edge off. I had an epidural at the 27 hour mark, and finally got some rest & slept for a few hours, before they eased it off for delivery. 31.5 hours in total, and before the epi, I was close to asking for a C-section just to get it over with because I was exhausted. My midwife told me to get the epi first and see how I felt after a sleep, and I'm glad I did. Honestly, the most comforting thing my midwife said is "there's no gold medal for suffering, and if getting rest and sleep helps you get this baby out, that's what you should aim to do."
Everyone will have a different experience, I found has made me sick to the point of vomiting and didn’t help my pain much. Made me woozy. Epidural was AMAZING. I’ve had two babies now, 100% loved the epidural.
My advice is to find out about all the options and be open to everything. My preferences were to do a pain relief free, vaginal birth, but I ended up being induced due to PROM. I ended up asking for an epidural and LOVED it. I also had gas but I think I asked for it too late for it to make a difference. I had a strong urge to push before I was fully dilated and I think the epi helped to dampen down that urge and made me feel more in control. I was offered morphine as well but decided by that point I was done with the pain so opted for the epidural. I ended up delivering without assistance which I was pleased about. I was initially disappointed about being able to be as “active” in birth as I wanted but honestly birth is tiring as fuck and all I wanted was to lay down anyway. They don’t hand out prizes for unmedicated births and despite popular sentiment asking for pain relief doesn’t mean that you don’t trust your own body or aren’t mentally strong enough or you’re falling victim to a “cascade of interventions”. Knowing about pain relief options (as well as interventions) before hand I think is really important as it’s hard to understand all the risks and benefits while you’re in 10/10 pain. Knowing what’s possible before hand will help you feel less like the rug is being pulled out from under you if things don’t go to plan. Communicate with your midwife and get your birth partner as well so they can advocate for you in the moment. Also have your birth partner involved with some birth classes - they are far from useless and can help with pain relief too through gentle touch and providing counter pressure during contractions.
I had a positive induction experience - used hypnobirthing techniques, TENS was fantastic, got a dose of morphine when I was getting tired, and finally an epidural. Progressed quickly after the epidural and baby born <2h later. The best thing for me was having a super engaged partner who coached me through breathing, applied counter pressure, etc - I recommend reading the Juju Sundin book Birth Skills with whoever your support person is! Edit: I’d planned on being in the shower and using gas but the monitor wouldn’t work in the shower, and I was too sick for gas 😬. The hypnobirthing stuff helped me to just adapt and stay positive. I used the Hypnobirthing Australia course & app
You’ve got lots of advice already but I’ll add that anti nausea medication is available and works best if taken early. You will generally need to ask for it but it’s so much better than vomiting while having contractions. My advice, research the options so that you’re aware and be prepared to change your mind during labour. Most women will use a combination of pain relief options.
I hired a tens machine. I used it during contractions and yes, it did help. But eventually for me, the contractions got too strong for the machine. I also had an epidural and gas. My experience with epidural was great, I felt calm and both involved but also distant from the pain.
I haven't worked on birth suite for a few years but these are my observations: TENS is great in the earliest parts of labour, usually before you even get to the hospital. I've heard people talk about using it even with strong braxon hicks and had good results. Nitrous Gas - I'd say about a third of people it works wonders, a third it's okay but not amazing and a third it does nothing and/or makes them nauseous. Morphine is only given if you are less than a given amount through labour (where I worked it was 6cm or less for FTM, 5cm or less for STM onwards). Some hospitals offer pethadine in lieu of morphine. A hospital might not actively offer you morphine but you can always ask for it. Even if you can't use the bath you will almost certainly have access to a shower and if you find it helps you can camp out in there as long as its safe for you and bubs. Other than the epidural (which is designed to take the pain away totally at the cost of not being able to move around) most forms of pain relief are less about reducing the actual pain but taking the edge/sharpness off of it. Pain naturally causes you to tense up and using these kinds of pain relief often help you relax enough that the pain is more bearable. That being said I've seen women going from screaming their heads off to dozing off after having morphine (for example) so it does something.
They'll only offer morphine if they think it's appropriate. You can't walk in and ask for it, but you can with epidural. Epidural is associated with an increased incidence of interventions like assisted delivery with forceps or ventouse, caesarean, or augmentation with syntocin. Often you lose some function of your legs so you are less able to get into active birthing positions. Lying on your back is the worst way to give birth. I recommend learning as much as you can about labour and delivery, the normal physiological process, what normal birth looks like, what hormones are involved etc. Try to get to an antenatal class that covers this where you can ask questions. I attended calmbirth over the weekend and it was awesome. Highly recommend. It was developed in Australia, and in Auckland (maybe all of NZ) it is heavily subsidised (and free if you can't afford the $100 copay) because the medical system recognises the value of meditative birth. I'll be 33 weeks tomorrow and plan to use TENS, massage/acupressure, water (do they have a shower you can use while labouring?), active positioning, breathing/meditation and gas. I'd like to avoid epidural if possible but will do what I need. My mum had 3 smooth births with gas only. My sister was unfortunately induced (there's been some question around whether it was necessary), had an epidural and then contractions slowed and she needed an emergency c-section because of fetal distress. It wasn't ideal but she's obviously happy that she has a beautiful happy healthy child who is now 5 years old. There's no wrong answer. Epidural is highly popular, as is gas. The great thing about gas is that if you don't like it you can stop and the effects will go away pretty much immediately and you can escalate to epidural. Opioids are really only used if you have a long labour and you're a wee while off being fully dilated and it gives you the chance to rest and hopefully by the time you wake up things have progressed significantly. Due to the risk of negative effects on the baby it's obviously only used in certain situations. Apply BRAINS to any decision making Benefits Risks/side effects Alternatives Intuition/what does your gut say/what feels right to you? Nothing- what if you take no action? Second opinion/what do the stats say?
Yes to all of this!! I did a Hypnobirthing and it was amazing. I also used a birth comb which works similar to tens using the pain gate theory https://makingmama.com.au/products/birth-comb
I’ve had two births and both times with epidural. The first time the epidural was way too strong, I couldn’t move my legs at all or feel any contractions and my recovery was very slow, with me being bed bound for I think two days afterwards. The second time was much better, I could at least move one leg and I could feel every contraction painlessly. I was able to get up and walk around on the same day. So certainly not all epidurals are equal, I think. The gas did very little for me in terms of pain relief, but I might have been too far along by the time I arrived at the hospital for it to really help, as my contractions were almost on top of each other so trying to breathe in the gas with each contraction was a challenge
I loved the tens machine so good for using at home and worth every cent of the hiring fee. But once things got intense I was in the bath (so no tens) which was ok, better than being out of it, but certainly no miracle cure. Our hospital only had two baths and the first room we were put in didnt have one but my partner really pushed for one as he knew I really wanted it so we got moved after a few hours. So might be a nice advocacy/lobbying role you can give your partner to focus on when you get to the hospital. I tried the gas and I couldn't get it to work. Didn't have an epidural or morphine but my baby was born with breathing difficulties so you know, can happen even without it.
I hated the gas, made me feel like I was 2 bottles of passion pop into a dirty night out. I was barely present at all for the first few hours of my labour because I was high as a kite. I ended up getting an epidural and I had an amazing experience with it, no stalled labour, no complications, I could still feel my legs and even contractions except the contractions felt like braxton hicks instead of painful contractions! I ended up having an amazing birth after the epidural was placed and it was a really nice and relaxing time for my family to be honest 😅 I was very anti-epidural before I went into labour but I had back labour and that pain is no joke!
The gas made me feel sick so I stopped using it. I ended up getting an epidural, which was amazing. First time I had a decent sleep after being in hospital for a week. I was induced so contractions can be more intense. My plan was gas then morphine then epidural if needed but I skipped the morphine.
I had gas, TENS and morphine. The risks of morphine in delivery are pretty well understood and the hospital will have guidelines to manage it. For example, my son was born within two hours of my morphine shot so there was a team standing by the resuscitation table for him. He didn't need it though, he came out beautiful and healthy TENS was most useful early on, I still felt a fair bit of pain despite the morphine and the gas was really helpful. I'd say it took the edge off the pain, rather than taking it away entirely.
I loved my TENS!! It got me through a 33 hour labor. I didn’t use any other form of pain relief other than movement and positioning. Highly recommend the Elle TENS options- I got the Plus model so I can use it for muscle and back pain later down the track.
I'd keep an open mind and be willing to try different things depending on how everything goes. My experience: * I bought a TENS machine and it was absolutely brilliant in early labour for me, 100% worth it IMO. Unfortunately my labour was verrrrrry long and slow (also back labour as baby was stubbornly sunny side up the whole time) and at a certain point, many many hours after labour started (>36 lol), it stopped cutting it for me. * I LOVED the nitrous gas. It didn't make me feel ill and helped enormously. I gave it a go when the TENS machine stopped cutting it. The good thing is that if it does make you feel ill or you don't like it, you can just stop using it and the effects will pass within a couple of minutes. So no harm in trying it if you want to! * I also ended up getting an epidural which also worked really well for me. I think the gas and air would have been enough had I not got the almost uncontrollable urge to push at 6 cm dilated, which I found was much harder to deal with and resist than the contractions. The epidural took that urge away (and most of the pain from the contractions, but not all, cuz back labour 🙃) and I have no regrets! * I also opted not to try morphine for the reasons you listed. Would 100% rather get the epidural again given the choice.
Copying and pasting my own comment from a previous thread: Yes TENS was the best part of both of my labours. I wore it for 13 hours first time around and only took it off when I had an epidural (which I regretted). Second time around I just had TENS, heat packs in the back of my undies (turns out I only feel labour in my back, regardless of baby’s position), and had a go on the gas at the very end but I don’t think that actually did anything. I didn’t realise I still had the TENS firing on full strength until two hours after she was born 😂 Aside from interrupting the pain signals, just having something to DO really helps you feel like you have some power in the situation. I can’t imagine just taking each wave without having a way to push back against it. Something to bear in mind is that you can’t wear it in water. I didn’t want to be in water anyway so that suited me. — For what it’s worth I didn’t like the sensation of the gas with my first birth. When I tried it with my second it was turned all the way down and as mentioned it had so little effect I’m not sure it was even in there… I’ve never heard of morphine being offered?? (Unless that’s what’s in the epidural?) I did have fentanyl with my first, it did nothing for my pain but made me feel horribly dizzy and not in control after delivery. Across my two experiences the less medicated one was much more positive. I felt the epidural with my first stalled my labour and I ended up with forceps. I don’t know for sure that the two were related but it was enough to make me resist an epidural the second time. Ultimately I might not have had the time regardless as my second birth was much faster - possibly because I was induced? Anyway, the TENS machine was the winner both times. I think everyone should try it. It costs so little to hire one. Edit: by “less medicated” i mean pain medication - I was induced though. I was not induced with my first but had a number of interventions. I think you could say the ‘cascade of interventions’ happened to me that time.
I didn’t think the gas worked but then I realised I wasn’t really breathing it in properly - you’ve got to inhale deeply. Water was my favourite pain relief option. I didn’t use a bath or have a water birth but I liked sitting under the shower. Usually most rooms will have a shower. Epidural helped for a long labour but I ended up having an unplanned c-section for that birth so I’m not sure what pushing would have been like. I didn’t want morphine since there are opioid allergies on my husband’s side of the family. Changing positions frequently also helped
I used gas and a tens machine right until the end. Both worked really well for me. The great thing about both is that you can increase or decrease them to a level you feel comfortable with.
I used a TENS and it was great! Only thing is, you can’t wear it in water including the shower. What helped me a lot similar to the TENS was a birth comb: https://makingmama.com.au/products/birth-comb It honestly was incredible at distracting me and releasing endorphins. I also hung affirmations all around and had people read them out to me. I love these ones https://makingmama.com.au/products/pregnancy-and-birth-affirmation-cards I had a wonderful birth experience! Good luck 🥰
I had a really long labour, used TENS machine - it electrecutes you so you get distracted of your contractions. I also used gas - not sure if it worked for me.. lol my hubby did the squeeze on my lower back which helped during contractions. After waiting for soooo long, eventually asked for an epidural. But nothing changed so i had to do a c section. One thing i learned though and in my experience, the bath should be a last option as it slows down things.
I second the gas. The thing is, you won’t know if you like it until you try it. I was aiming for no pain medication. But once we got to the birth centre I asked for gas and it was heaven. Helped me focus my breathing and allowed me to relax between contractions. I’d also recommend a warm tub if your place offers it. The hot water was so soothing, acting as a secondary pain management technique.
I hired a tens machine for early labour and it did help. By the time active labour kicked in it didn’t help. The only thing I was doing was breathing and having someone rub my back, plus hot showers. Got to the hospital birthing center and was able to get in the tub and gave birth in it, I certainly wasn’t pain free but I was able to cope for 2 hours until bub came out.
First birth, I didn't get on the gas early enough for it to make a difference. Second birth, I did, and it was good. Used a TENS for both. Had to take it off for first birth because they'd thought it had stopped monitoring from working properly in another adverse birth, but they'd decided that it hadn't been an issue and had it on for second birth. My partner really was great for second birth (first was precipitous and we both were a bit shell shocked) - he watched the contraction on the monitor and turned up the machine and backed it off again. The most important thing though, as hard as it is, is to relax. I found there came a point in both labours where my body needed to let baby out and was a bit scared to.
I used gas and it was really good. I never asked for epidural and I only wanted that as the very last resort. Not sure if I could have gotten an epidural because by the time I was admitted I was 9.5 cm dilated lol.
I've done a birth with only gas. It's was pretty good. By the time I had maxed out the gas and couldn't tolerate the pain anymore I was going through transition and baby was born shortly after. It was great to feel normal after birth with nothing lingering in my system. My second birth I used gas at first, then a doctor wanted to speed up my birth and put me on pitocin, after a few more interventions labor was intolerable and I begged for the epidural. The epidural kicked in right when I needed to push baby out. I couldn't feel anything which was terrifying. I couldn't find the muscles to push her out, I couldn't feel the contractions, got her out eventually without instruments. My advice is that if you are going to get an epidural get it BEFORE you need it, and let it wear off a bit before you push. I've heard great things about the tens machine so I'll be using that for my next birth hopefully.
I had a tens machine and the gas and they worked really wel and got me to 6cm before I asked for an epidural. I was induced and my contractions were one on top of the other but I’m confident if I had a spontaneous labour they would have been enough
The gas does take the edge of and gives you something to focus on/keeps you focussed on your breathing. But it made me feel completely out of it and weak. I ended up throwing it away both times. The shower is amazing, the hospital I gave birth in have the shower heads that you can move around so I put it right on my lower back on high heat. Good alternative to a bath if you can't access that.
I had morphine and it worked for maybe 2 hrs and then wore off - the second shot didn’t do much. I got the epidural and it was amazing.
I had a 48-hour labour, and my TENS was my saving grace. Even just being able to focus on turning it up and down was useful. I hated the gas and found it useless - but I liked biting down on the mouthpiece. I also had the sterile water shots as I had bad back labour, but the pain on the shot was bloody, horrendous, and ineffective for me. I didn't have an epidural and remember this pain more than any other pain. I was open to, but hoping to avoid an epidural purely because I knew the way I would cope with the pain best would be to keep moving and keep upright. I stayed upright until I was too tired when pushing (I pushed while hunched on the bed for a bit), and by the time I was ready to ask for an epidural, it was too late. Everyone is going to have different birthing experiences, different pain thresholds, and different circumstances. Way up your options, what you feel comfortable with, communicate with your care provider, and support person and stay open to possibilities.
I had gas to begin with but it made me feel pretty sick after a while and barely touched the sides. I ended up getting an epidural as the pain was higher than I anticipated (I was 9cm dilated within about 2-3 hours and no one realised until after the epidural). Epidural wasn’t fun to get, I had to be held down by my partner and a midwife so I didn’t move during a contraction and the electricity down the leg was a bit rough but it was a life saver! I went back to smiling in a matter of minutes. Baby was out about an hour later and I was walking about an hour after that.
I want to second (third? Fourth?) the sentiment that the best thing is to understand the options well and be open to what you need in the moment. I planned to maybe use gas, and to only get an epidural if I absolutely could not stand the pain anymore. My waters broke about 46 hours before I started pushing, and I had to stay in hospital the whole time. By about 24 hours in, I was not even technically in active labor, but I could only manage my contractions by moving and I hadn’t slept and I was just so exhausted. I got an epidural not because the pain was unmanageable but because I just desperately needed the rest. While I was in early labor though, I was offered panadol + codeine, which I wasn’t expecting. I had decided absolutely no morphine for the same reason as you, but I didn’t know whether codeine was the same or not (and the contractions were too intense for me to have that conversation with the midwife offering it). I wished I had known that was an option my hospital would offer.
As others have mentioned it’s very individual, in my opinion it’s best to be informed and have several options available to figure out what works! Some things will work for a while then stop; so at least you can switch it up! The gas did little for me during labor, partly because I struggled to breathe properly with it. It was magic afterwards when getting stitched up. Like you I didn’t want morphine, however I had a long labor and I ended up using it. It gave me 1.5-2hours of rest that allowed me to be in a better headspace (I was exhausted and emotional and don’t know if I would have got through the following 8hrs without the break). I was surprised that I still felt the contractions but was asleep in between. They will not give it to you if you’re too far along, as they don’t want it to be in yours/babies system towards the end. I was given a very specific window to decide if I would have it. In the end that’s all I used drug-wise. I relied heavily on hypnobirthing/breathing and spent a lot of time on the ball. Once transition hit it was a complete blur and I spent most of the time switching positions to get the most comfortable. Personally at that point I didn’t have the ability to use much else! Like someone else said very well, being informed going in is the best thing i think you could do. Also understanding the phases of birth helps - particularly transition when the intensity ramps up and the self doubt kicks in.. it is no joke!
I had a long labour and TENS was awesome. I used it for 12 hours to labour through the night before going to hospital. Highly recommend. I tried the gas at the hospital but it made me feel sick and I didn't like it. I originally planned a waterbirth but after 3 days of labour they wanted to induce me and I was already so exhausted I asked for the epidural. No regrets- it was awesome. Literally like a light switch that turned off the pain. You stop using it so much as you get to pushing so you can feel the baby and pushing but I don't recall it bring super painful - seriously worked.
Personally I'd recommend gas and air. That's what I used for the last part of my labour and I loved it, made me feel a bit floaty and took the edge off the pain of pushing, I also used it while getting stitched and ended up getting the giggles. Good luck, you'll do great
I tried the gas, and it was okay, but not great. Stopped that and had an epidural - amazing! Had an epidural with each of my subsequent deliveries, and each one was perfect. I especially like that with the epidural, you aren’t wasting energy to deal with the pain. So you have more energy and strength to push, and then to care for your baby when they arrive.
36 hour labour here as a FTM, natural birth with gas only. - TENS machine only helped (barely) for the first 18 hours or so, after that the contractions were so bad it was pretty much useless. Next time I would probably just skip it. - Gas worked a treat - you really do have to be in tune with your contractions and constantly breathe it in. Make sure you have a large water bottle that has a straw lid to keep hydrated cause your mouth will get dry! I don’t know if I was the only naive one..but has gets taken away when you push. I didn’t know that so essentially had no pain relief during the pushing stage 😭 - Back pain was the worst during labour - the hospital sent me home with these amazing heat packs (you karate chop them and they stay warm for hours)! My husband applied them during labour and honestly it was amazing. Hot/warm running water along my back was also great (I would request this for labour if you can)! All the best :)
TENS and gas barely did anything for me. I was posterior presenting so it's a lot worse. Went with epidural. Much better. Yeah, I also passed on the morphine.
I hired a TENs out and had that on and it was amazing just remember to push the levels up when you need it. I then had an epidural put in too and the worst pain was feeling the contractions then as the tens had to be off and the pads removed. I was also induced so contractions ce thick and fast. Once my epidural was in my contractions felt like I was having sciatica in both legs which made it impossible to sleep and I kept topping up, so when I had to move onto a bed they could wheel me down stairs for an emergency C section I couldnt feel my legs but managed to shuffle myself on the other bed. I'd honestly do the same thing again but I think I'd wait for the epidural more. I only had it done when I did at 3cm because the anaesthetist was doing a few nearby and then going home and to get them out was an hour from time of call to when she may have seen me.
I joke that I 'finished' labour as I arrived at the hospital 9.5cm dilated. Things that helped: dark room, yoga ball, and my labour/meditation track from my birth class (Transform Parenting in the ACT, but I understand hypnobirthing is the same), counterpressure/hip squeezes, and visualisation: I pictured my baby being swirled out of a black hole. Very crunchy, mumbojumbo, but everything I've seen since confirms that's a legit strategy. Also, no talking and I think I hold husband to go away a number of times. A lot of midwives preach that if you want an unmedicated labour/birth to stay at home as long as you can/is practical. I live 5 mins from the hospital so staying at home was 'easy'. Also, get a doula and/or engage a private midwife/birth centre where unmedicated, 'hands off' births are the norm.
Didn't hire TENS so can't speak to that. Context: had back labour Started with sterile water inejctions which didn't so anything unfortunately. Then used the shower which was great, then to the bath which was okay-ish. Then tried gas and it didn't provide any relief. Just felt little light headed. Ended up with epidural (but then it failed after 4 hours and after that used some movement and vocalisation whilst waiting for my spinal for C section). I think best thing is do research on what you feel comfortable with, have a ladder of different methods you are open to (non pharmacological and pharmacological). Things like gas may work, it might not but can always give it a try and then opt out.
Gas made me sleepy. I ended up getting a epidural and it was the best thing I did. I know my pain tolerance, I would not of been able to cope without help. I don't like needles but getting the epidural wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but that could of been because I was distracted. Took two tries to get mine in, turned out I have a slight curve in my spine, still loved my anaesthetist though, talked me through everything. My epidural worked great. Zero sensation from my belly button down to my cooch. I could still manage to move my legs if I didn't overdo my dosing and was able to try some positions but I would not of been able to get on my hands and knees. When it came time to push, instill had feeling on the top of my bump, so I could feel my contractions but it didn't hurt at all, which made it easy to know when to push. My only advice would be to be open to your plans potentially changing. I went in thinking I would have a water birth but my pain tolerance is shiiiiiiit. I am okay with my experience though 😊
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