IV Narcotics in Labor

[Mamabeakley]

Hi!

I have been pondering all that I have heard from many sources about Nubain, Fentanyl, Stadol, whatever you call it - narcotics given by IV during labor "to take the edge off". I have only once ever heard anyone say, "oh, yeah, that worked really well for me, I'm so glad I had them" (whereas although many people wish they hadn't had epis, many people do seem to have liked having them.)

So, has anyone had a positive experience with IV narcotics in labor?

[NewTennMom]

I was given Stadol right before getting my epidural. Wow, what a weird experience it was. I would imagine its a lot like doing acid (which I have never done, but I imagine this is similar). It made me really 'loopy' and giggly and I was sluring my words. My SO of course found this HYSTERICAL.

I would say it distracted me, but didn't take much of the edge off. My epidural didn't hurt at all, so maybe it did do something.

On the positive side, we got a good laugh out of it!

[liberal_chick]

Yeah, I had stadol it made me feel loopy and out of it. I wasn't in labor (I had a bazillion issues and was being monitored to see if I needed a c-section that night), they gave it to me to help me sleep. It did help me sleep, but only b/c I was so dizzy!

[Sagesgirl]

I had Fentanyl, and while I usually say it was just about worthless, it honestly wasn't. I had been laboring 38 hours straight by then (this on top of a week or more of prodromal labor) and hadn't had a minute's rest. It took the edge off just enough for me to zone out and almost nap. It allowed me to rest up for the pushing stage.

Still, I think I would have been better served by rereading Husband-Coached Childbirth (ie, the Bradley Method) during my pregnacy, instead of assuming I remembered it. (Birthing from Within didn't help in the slightest).

[paquerette]

Too bad we can't get this for our partners instead. I wouldn't want it but I'm thinking my labor would be much, much more pleasant if DH got a shot of something to make him loopy, silly, and feeling no pain. : He just exudes nervousness and panic and stress.

[kalirush]

I had Nubain, and I had a similar experience to Sagesgirl- it didn't help with the contractions much, but it let me rest in between. I had pitocin, and there was just no chance to rest at all. I was so tired by then, the Nubain probably prevented me having a c-section just from sheer exhaustion.

In any case, it worked really well for me, and I'm glad I had it. *shrug*

[Sioko]

I had 2 doses of staydol with DD1. They said it would "take the edge off". WRONG. It did nothing for the pain, and just added dizzy, nausea, dead drunk feeling. I say beware of it. I think it effects decision making the same way being drunk does.... hence the second dose : I will never take staydol again! Horrible stuff. JMO of course.

[jeninejessica]

Originally Posted by NewTennMom

I was given Stadol right before getting my epidural. Wow, what a weird experience it was. I would imagine its a lot like doing acid (which I have never done, but I imagine this is similar). It made me really 'loopy' and giggly and I was sluring my words. My SO of course found this HYSTERICAL.

My SIL was given fentynol and this is almost exactly what she said, made a comment about how it may be the only drug she's ever tried, but it sure was a good one. She could barely hold her head up she was so 'loopy'. She said it helped the pain, but I'm not sure how much she was having (early labor, setting up for a c-section.

Another client tried it, and even after two does in less than half an hour, all it did was give her about 3 minutes of 'spacy'. Didn't do anything for the contractions.

[wombatclay]

Hmmmm.... I had a drug free birth but it ended in a 4th degree tear. They gave me a few injections of a numbing medication so they could do the repair (200-ish sutures, 45 or so minutes). However the shots left big "windows" of full sensation (OOOOOOUUUUUUCH!!!!!!) so they hooked up my heplock and gave me IV narcotics. In my case it made me feel warm and fuzzy and more or less completely fine with the ongoing suturing. And it made holding my new dd2 much nicer since I could actually hold her instead of squeezing the poop out of a towel/doula/partner/nurse as they sutured without pain meds!

So while I have no experience with it during labor, I had no negative side effects and it effectively/quickly reduced the pain of extensive suturing.

[txgal]

I had stadol with my first. I had pitocin and the epidural didn't work, so this was the other option. I remember my husband asking if it helped and me saying (in a loopy voice) "I can still feel the pain, but I just don't care, this is some good sh*%" I basically felt like I had smoked a joint, not that I have any idea what that is like.

It didn't do much for me in the long run, I still ended up with a csect., but it wasn't a bad experience.

[KiansMomma]

I had a half dose of demerol and half dose of phenegrin (sp?) when I felt the urge to push before I was complete and the contractions weren't giving me a chance to catch my breath. It made me zone out between contractions and wake up during them...actually now that I think about it, what happened right after they gave it to me sounds a lot like I went off in labor land right before transition and pushing. Sure didn't do much for me either way.

[Carlyle]

I had nubain with dd after 26 hours of labor. HATED it. It did help relieve the pain, but left me totally whacked. My mw and dh were trying to get me to sleep (so that hopefully I would relax and dd would get into a better position), but I couldn't focus--kept asking "I had a question for you...what was it? Did I ask you the question? What was your answer? What was the question?" It was BIZARRE. Then once they finally got me to go to sleep, I kept waking up feeling like I couldn't breathe right (like there was weight on my chest or something). They had to put me on oxygen, which also made me feel claustrophobic.

Once it wore off, they gave me an epithecal (a spinal shot, sometimes called a walking epidural I think) and that worked much better. First time I smiled in a day and a half! I was able to sleep well on that and baby turned and dropped. I woke up after an hour or two and was ready to push. I would *rather* have been able to do it without any drugs, but was glad they were available for that particular situation and that particular birth.

[katie&micah]

I had nubaine and it was like magic. I couldn't feel the contractions, so I was actually able to get some rest. The nurse kept commenting on how it didn't usually work that well for people though. It lasted a good 10 hours before I asked for another. The 2nd shot did absolutely nothing. I've heard that it never works as well after the 1st time.

[greene_mama]

I had Nubain, and it worked WONDERS. I had a very long prodromal labor and by the time things were in full swing, I was completely exhausted from several days with no sleep. I was panicking and terrified that it was never going to end, and I had horrid back labor, and a very slow one, at that. Luckily, since I had hospital-based midwives with a policy of minimal interventions, there was no talk of failure to progress, as I'm sure there would have been with a different provider.

I was ready to talk epis, but my midwife suggested the Nubain instead and it was immediate relief, helped me sleep between contractions, and in about an hour I went from 5 cm dilated (which I had been for hours beforehand) to 9-10cm! My water broke just as the Nubain was wearing off, and I began pushing shortly after that.

I really wanted to have a completely natural birth, but in my case, I think the fear was in the way and I could not relax and let my body take over. Once the Nubain helped me relax, my body did what it had been trying to do all along, and everything went really fast after that.

The L&D nurse did comment as they were administering it that it often isn't that effective (it hadn't been for her, apparently)...kind of a lousy thing to say in front of a laboring mother, but she later came to see me in postpartum recovery and laughed at how she'd been wrong in that case-- that it had been the perfect thing for me! Thank goodness for the midwife on duty who made the call...saved me from the epidural & helped things go much more smoothly.

[SallyN]

I had a pitocin-augmented birth and got a dose of numorphan - hoping it would take the edge off and let me get some rest b/w contractions. I didn't think it did a thing, until an hour later when it wore off! I don't think I'd bother with it again, unless it was for the sake of taking the edge off until I got an epidural. But, I'm going to be trying a number of other strategies to avoid the epidural this time (mainly, I have a LOT more confidence in myself this time!)

[JennTheMomma]

I broke down and took Nubain. Made me feel really drunk, and I couldn't focuse my eyes. I felt so sick, and I have a bad stomach already. It didn't take the edge off, only made it worse. It lasted only about a half hour. I would never do that again.

[Photochef]

Unfortunately I don't have anything positive to post. I had 2 doses of IV Fentanyl, and it
1. made me sick to my stomach, horribly nauseous
2. Made me feel like I was talking slowly for about 10 minutes
3. Did NOTHING for the agony
4. Made it so that my baby didn't breath the second she was born, so they cut her cord prematurely and stole her from me to torture her on the warmer table

I know you asked for positive experiences, and some other people had some. I just wanted you to make the most informed decision you could with as much information as you could gather.

Good luck.

[XOIMOM]

I had Demerol with my first two and Stadol + Phenergen (and IV benadryl) with my last.

Some people enjoy the feeling. It's why people take narcotics recreationally. It doesn't rid you of pain, it just makes you not care, LOL.

For me, I felt very fuzzy and lovey and out of control with the Demerol. With my last delivery, the Stadol, Phenergen, and benadryl knocked me the F out.

My next labor will be drug free.

[Peppamint]

I had Nubain during my first labor (along with Pit, episiotomy, etc) and it didn't take the edge off. In fact, the only thing is did was add to the overload of sensations by giving me nausea and vertigo. : I also believe the Nubain made my dd very sleepy and affected our nursing relationship for the first week or two.

Turns out, my experience is pretty 'normal'. I do have one friend that really liked narcotics during her first birth but still chooses to give birth at home without that option.

[applejuice]

Demerol and drugs like it do not remove the pain, but remove your intellectual ability to deal with pain, so the person who is drugged still feels the pain, but does not care.

I have often wondered about women in labor who would not smoke a cigarette, take an asprin, drink coffee, or have a glass of wine through nine months of pregnancy, but accept strong narcotics intravenously for several hours of labor and why doctors recommend this.

i am simply going to assume it makes things easier and more predictable in the hospital setting for the staff.