For those that had a IV- Where is most comfy place to have it

[kayleesmom]

hi ladies, I have to have a IV in place for my labor and 12 hrs after becuase i have a shunt in my head and they want to make sure i dont get a infection. Where is the most comfortable place to have the IV for a mom is going to breastfeed? I am a hard stick too for getting my veins. Thanks Ladies

[meisterfrau]

I'm a hard stick too, and probably had an IV placed about 6-7 times the last time (not fun, and long story)!

The only advice I can offer is to make sure they don't put it someplace that will make it impossible to bend your hand or arm fully. One of the times I had one, I couldn't move my right wrist. Needless to say that wasn't gonna work. It's kind of hard to learn to BF when you can't hold the baby right.

[Crisstiana]

I was hospitalized quite a long time for problems with my twin pregnancy and eventually had an emergency section, so I had a lot of IVs. I'm also a hard stick. I agree with Meisterfrau to check that it will be comfortable. The worst was one on the back of my hand that overhung my knuckles; I kept jamming it when I moved around in the bed. The best were low enough in the bend of my elbow not to interfere with full arm motion or holding a baby (or two).

Hope they get it in the first try and it doesn't bother you at all!

[lyttlewon]

I have had IV's for various reasons in the hand and in the arm. I much prefer the kind in the hand.

[MelKnee]

I got mine in my hand. It is so much more comfortable. And I think there is more freedom of movement with it in the hand.

[mikayla's mama]

With DD#1 I had it in my hand, I asked to have it put in my left hand because I'm right-handed. I've never had one anywhere else except the hand.

[MommytoTwo]

In the arm. Its not great but having it in the hand is painful and makes it hard to get in and out of bed, since you cant really bend that hand. If you do get it in the arm you may want to shave the area first. I am not even very hairy and that tape HURTS coming off!!

[AKmoose]

I haven't had one for labor/birth, but in general, I think IVs in the forearm are best - NOT the underside (tender) of the arm, the top part...the "intern's vein," which runs kind of off the thumb, but is accessed a few inches back, was always my favorite spot for one. It doesn't bend, since it's on the straight part of the arm. Good luck

[wombatclay]

I think it's very personal, but...

I had one IV that was in the side of my wrist and it was the worst thing ever!I have no idea why the nurse placed it there and no one else could figure it out either...I think she thought it wouldn't be in long or something. Anyway, it was very uncomfortable, made bending/flexing my hand almost impossible, and it kept bumping into things. That IV was placed over two years ago and I actually still have a scar on m arm from it!

For me the back of the hand works pretty well, and the arm isn't too bad. One thing to ask about though would be the option of a heplock/saline lock though. That way you wouldn't need to have the IV tubing hooked up if you didn't need it, but they'd still be able to hook you up quickly if necessary (I've got crummy veins too). And a heplock wouldn't get in your way as much as a full on IV setup.

Happy birthing!

ETA- AKMoose That's the spot that gave me so much pain/trouble! But at least now I know it wasn't just some random spot picked by the nurse!

[BetsyS]

A really good vein, IMO, is the one on top of your forearm. They aren't easy to see/feel on everyone, and not every nurse/intern is able to get them, but they are a fabulous place to have an IV.

[Belle]

Originally Posted by AKmoose

I haven't had one for labor/birth, but in general, I think IVs in the forearm are best - NOT the underside (tender) of the arm, the top part...the "intern's vein," which runs kind of off the thumb, but is accessed a few inches back, was always my favorite spot for one. It doesn't bend, since it's on the straight part of the arm. Good luck

That's where I had one when I gave birth to my dd. They put it in while I was pushing and I was using my hands at the time so not being able to move my hand/arm was not an option. It didn't hurt at all. My dd was born two pushes after they put it in. I think that it was very useless.

When I had an emergency d&c after a m/c they put one in the bend of my arm. It hurt! And they refused to take it out even after I had no more fluid going into it. I had a huge bruise on my arm from that one.

[XanaduMama]

Having had 2 years of chemo and an IV during labor, I have to say the forearm position is the best. What bothers me the most with any IV is the feeling that I have to keep still (esp an issue during labor), and this position (rather than any joint--elbow, wrist--or the hand) is the best for avoiding that worry. I had mine there, taped firmly, and it didn't bother me a bit. I was in the tub, walking around, doing yoga etc during labor, and I actually asked my dh afterward if I had the IV in the whole time, because I honestly didn't remember having it. Which was a surprise, because I was really bummed about having to have it. G'luck!

[melissakc]

I had a heplock in my hand, and it didn't bother me at all. They only had to hook me up for abx twice during my labor, so I wasn't constrained by the tubes except for the two 15-minute periods when they gave me the abx. I really wanted to be able to bend my arms, and having a needle in the inside of the arm creeps me out! Good luck!

[cristeen]

I had a saline lock in the back of my hand... it did not use a needle but a catheter. From where she put it in, the end of the catheter was in the crease of my wrist, so every time I flexed my hand it felt like I was stabbing myself. I went through 37 hours of labor like that... I should have had them move it, not sure why I didn't. :

I wasn't actually hooked up to anything until the last 2 hours of labor, and by that point I didn't much care about my hand.

[ReneeC]

I've had *tons* of IVs for various reasons, and lots of experience with blood draws too. Even as someone with "good veins", I find the back of the hand to be one of the most painful places to place an IV, but once it is in, as long as the end of the IV catheter isn't at the bend of the wrist, it's pretty painless.

The bend of the arm (inside elbow or what the Med. community calls the "antecubital space") is the *worst* place, in my opinion, to put an IV. It goes in relatively painless, but once it is in, you really can't bend your arm at all.

The best place I've had an IV was one of the veins of the inside forearm, about in the middle of the arm. If they use a Heparin lock IV, use Tegaderm, and tape down the tubing, you have free movement of both your wrist and elbow and can still hold the baby without worrying about pulling the IV out.

Best of luck to you!

[roadfamily6now]

I usually go for the Hep Lock......

I just noticed that I now have 3 scars on the back of my left hand from them.

No more hospital births for me!

[QuietTempest]

With my first pregnancy, I had to have a cesarean and an IV was put in my left hand. I absolutely hate needles and asked that the site be numbed before they put it in, which my nurse was happy to do for me. It was comfortable (tolerable) for a while, but the sensation of cold whenever fluid rushed through the line into my hand was weird and I didn't like it at all. I was able to move my hand freely, but kept worrying that if I made the wrong move, I'd regret it. When the time finally came to remove the IV, it was a bit uncomfortable to say the least..


With my second pregnancy, I had a heplock placed in my left forearm. Same deal with the request to have the site numbed beforehand. I definitely preferred having an IV in my forearm rather than my hand. The sensation of the IV fluid (I had to receive antibiotics because my water broke prematurely and my GBS test hadn't come back yet) was much more tolerable because it wasn't rushing into my hand and I was able to move around and change positions during labor without worrying about jarring something loose since it wasn't in an awkward area.

[veganone]

Thank you for this thread - I wouldn't have even thought to ask about it! I am a hard stick, too, and while I've only had a couple of IVs - both times they tried my hand (the second after I told them it didn't work for me there) and both times the fluid popped my vein as soon as they started it and they had to move to my arm. It's so disturbing to watch the bruise spread over your hand... The one in the forearm makes sense - I'll be sure to ask about that! I really want to be able to move around.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

I think it's very personal, but...

I had one IV that was in the side of my wrist and it was the worst thing ever!I have no idea why the nurse placed it there and no one else could figure it out either...I think she thought it wouldn't be in long or something. Anyway, it was very uncomfortable, made bending/flexing my hand almost impossible, and it kept bumping into things. That IV was placed over two years ago and I actually still have a scar on m arm from it!

For me the back of the hand works pretty well, and the arm isn't too bad. One thing to ask about though would be the option of a heplock/saline lock though. That way you wouldn't need to have the IV tubing hooked up if you didn't need it, but they'd still be able to hook you up quickly if necessary (I've got crummy veins too). And a heplock wouldn't get in your way as much as a full on IV setup.

Happy birthing!

ETA- AKMoose That's the spot that gave me so much pain/trouble! But at least now I know it wasn't just some random spot picked by the nurse!

EW. I had one of those one time, too. I was a terribly hard stick until my last preganancy. My veins blossomed.

I'm also a phlebotomist and used to assist with IVs so I am super picky. I would have to say wrist and bend of the arm are horrible for labor especially since you grab stuff a lot and I am always super paranoid I will push too hard and the thing will shoot out! I know it won't, but it still scares me.

[mamanurse]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

A really good vein, IMO, is the one on top of your forearm. They aren't easy to see/feel on everyone, and not every nurse/intern is able to get them, but they are a fabulous place to have an IV.

ITA with Betsy. I've had several IVs from hands, wrists, forearms, to a PICC line. I've also started IVs all over the UEs. If you hold your hand our palm down, there is a vein that generally runs from the center of your wrist towards the thumb side of your forearm. This is ALWAYS my first choice for vein selection when starting an IV. They allow for the most movement and least inconvenience.

That said, if your vein isn't "good" in that location, then the hand is often my next best option.