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Can't get an epidural - any guidance on use of IV or narcotic pain medications
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Anonymous
| I'm 34 weeks pregnant with my first. I might not be able to get an epidural because my platelet levels are low, hovering around 100, the level at which an epidural isn't possible. I'm not getting much feedback from my OB on the use of IV or narcotic pain medication, which is my backup option, except that he says they are subpar and make you nauseous and a little delirious. Has anyone used narcotics before and could you share your experience(s). Thanks! |
Anonymous
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I haven't used narcotics but you may want to post on preeclampsia.org under ask the experienced or the section for HELLP.
Has your doctor talked to you about magnesium sulfate yet? Its not a pain killer but given in PE/HELLP situations to prevent stroke. The mag made me really foggy (and pretty bad) and lessoned the feel of the contractions. |
Anonymous
| I haven't used narcotics either, but I've heard nothing but negative things about them from people who have -- along the lines of, it didn't do anything for the pain but instead made them loopy and sleepy (and then can make the baby loopy and sleepy also because they do cross the placenta, not a good thing if you are planning to breastfeed). Have you thought about potentially not using any medication and managing pain in other ways? For example, staying mobile during labor, getting into the shower, counterpressure on your back, heat or cold packs, etc. Some women find that labor is manageable without drugs -- I did, both times. If you end up needing it, then it's there, but there's no reason to decide on pain meds before the fact. |
Anonymous
| A friend who has had bad anesthesia reactions used Hypnobirthing very successfully. |
Anonymous
OP here - yes, I'm hoping for a natural birth actualy, but it's my first, and so I think it best to keep all my options open. And of course if I need a c-section, I want to be familiar with the pain meds they'll use for that. |
Anonymous
| OP one thing to prepared for is that you may not be able to be mobile, walk around and get into a shower. If they induce you and you are on Pitocin then you are constrained to the area around the bed. If you are on magnesium sulfate then you can't get up at all (I could not even sit up on this drug). I think for c-section they would do a general anes. but your doctor should be able to be very specific about this. |
Anonymous
| No clue about your c-section question, but I did use narcotics with DC#1's birth. A word of advice: DON'T. They make you drunk and therefore less able to handle bad pain. I was a delirious whimpering idiot. |
Anonymous
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OP where are you delivering? Sibley offers an anesthesia consult for their OB patients. I just scheduled one. I had two very bad experiences with epidurals and I am not even considering them for this baby, but I would still like some pain medication. Let's see what they'll recommend.
I won't have the consult until close to Thanksgiving so I don't know how it'll go... Maybe your hospital offers something similar? goo luck! |
Anonymous
OP here - I'm delivering at Sibley too. Wow, I wasn't even aware a consult was available. Thank you. I will schedule one now. Can you tell me how and with whom you scheduled yours? Silly question - the OB anesthesiologist then should be familiar with (and able to administer) all pain medication options, not just an epidural?? |
Anonymous
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Also ask about sterile saline injections for back labor.
And if a jacuzzi tub is available, that helps a ton too. I would assume if you can't have an epidural and you need a C-section, they'll have to use general anesthesia on you and knock you out entirely... hopefully you'll learn more at the anesthesia consult! Good luck. |
Anonymous
| One thing to consider is that narcotics pass to the baby. I'm sure the medical community wouldn't use narcotics if they had truly adverse effects on the baby, but it's another piece of the puzzle for you as you're making decisions. |
Anonymous
| If you have a c/s, then you'll be on morphine and having general anesthesia since I am guessing a spinal will also not be an option. As far as I know, morphine is not an option during labor, I think they use stadol (?). Good idea to have a consult. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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OP, I had surgery for scoliosis as a teenager and didn't know prior to labor whether I'd be able to get an epidural (in the end I could but it was complicated). I did have an anesthesia consult while pregnant, which was very helpful. Narcotics are not ideal but they're not the end of the world either, definitely don't rule them out. Stadol is another decent option.
For a c/s, you'd almost certainly have a general anesthetic. I have to say that I was kind of dismayed at how few good pain control options there are other than an epidural. In the end we hired a doula and I took prenatal yoga and learned what I could to prepare for an unmedicated birth. You definitely may want to consider a doula for your situation, it can be a huge help. |
Anonymous
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OP, here's the number to schedule an anesthesia consult at Sibley:
202.537.4437 You need a referral from your doctor. I am sure he or she will gladly give you one. Good luck, |
Anonymous
| Have you suggested reading up on the Bradley Method or Hypnobirthing on how to handle the labor? If you know how to deal with the contractions a natural labor is not as bad as some people make it out to be. |