Nubain VS epidural

Breezer80

I know I am going to want some sort of pain relief. I had kind of wanted to be able to move around, and at the very least wait until the last possible moment before getting the pain meds to see if I really couldn't handle it. Even while typing this I have a feeling I will walk in and ask for the epi right away, but there's another part of me that would really try to tough it out.

 Anyway - I know all about the epi, I've read lots of articles about it, etc., but in my childbirth class (first one!) on Tuesday they mentioned the hospital also uses Nubain. I did some google research but its not really giving me a lot of information. Can someone point me in the right direction, or tell me a bit about Nubain - what it does, how it works, how it compares to an epi, etc.?

mpls_cat

This is what the nurse at birth class said about nubain:

It's a narcotic, it doesn't get rid of the pain but it can take the edge off. It 100% crosses the placenta. If they give it to you too close to the birth they have to give the baby Narcan to help them breathe since narcotics depress breathing. Narcan both removes the effects of the synthetic nubain but also the effects of the baby's natural endorphins and good-feeling brain chemicals that were released due to the trauma of birth. It wears off after a few hours and getting a second dose isn't usually recommended because you won't feel the pain relief as much or at all with the second dose.

Personal experience my doula had with it:

It made her feel totally drunk and out of it and she doesn't remember the birth or first hour of her second daughter's life. She regrets nubain more than any other birth decsion she made out of all 4 of her children.

sbryant021408

argh, I was hoping someone would respond. I also want to avoid an epi...I dont have my anesthesia class for a couple weeks...

madhatter2003

my personal experience is that narcotics suck.  I didn't have nubain, but had stadol and fentanyl (I can't spell, sorry) They make you feel high, slightly sick, and don't really help the pain. You just don't care, but you still hurt.

With the epi I was mentallly 'with it' and much more relaxed, happy, and myself. Plus you can have the epi up until the end, with narcotics you can't have them too close to birth.

2nd time I went straight for the epi.

Aliliv

My Dr. was just telling me about another pain relief option that is NOT a narcotic and for the life of me I can't remember what it was!!!   Apparently, it only lasts around a half hour or an hour, but it is an option to take the edge off (or pain away) for a while so you can rest........and it does not cross the placenta at all!

Poplin2007

nubain made me feel drunk, the epi made my legs very numb.  There will be effects/consequences no matter what you choose...

ErinNConnorsMom

I've never had an epi (never had time for one, actually), but did get Nubain during my 2nd labor.  It did exactly what the nurse said it would...it took the edge off and made contrax manageable.  It made me feel a bit loopy during labor, but I felt fine right after I delivered.  I got it about 1/2 hr before he was born...waaay too close to delivery (I delivered precipitously), but thankfully Connor was ok.

mrseggs

mpls_cat:

This is what the nurse at birth class said about nubain:

It's a narcotic, it doesn't get rid of the pain but it can take the edge off. It 100% crosses the placenta. If they give it to you too close to the birth they have to give the baby Narcan to help them breathe since narcotics depress breathing. Narcan both removes the effects of the synthetic nubain but also the effects of the baby's natural endorphins and good-feeling brain chemicals that were released due to the trauma of birth. It wears off after a few hours and getting a second dose isn't usually recommended because you won't feel the pain relief as much or at all with the second dose.

Personal experience my doula had with it:

It made her feel totally drunk and out of it and she doesn't remember the birth or first hour of her second daughter's life. She regrets nubain more than any other birth decsion she made out of all 4 of her children.

This. The nurse at our birth class said that if it is given too close to the delivery of the baby, the baby is pretty much stoned when it is delivered. They can give the shot of Narcan, but they have to watch when they do that because if they give the Narcan to the newborn of an addict, then the baby, which was probably also born with an addiction, can go into immediate withdrawal.

Breezer80

This is all really good information, thank you all very much for sharing your experiences with me 

soontobeahigh

I have had nubain, and it didn't take the pain away nor the edge, but it did make me very tired and I slept in between contractions and pushes. I was so out of it, I could barely hold my head up or talk. Stay away from the nubain lol!

AllisonLeigh

from what I can remember Nubain is actually an anti nausea medication the pain relief and loopiness are just side effects. I think.

DaisyAdair

Nubain might as well have been saline.  I didn't even get a buzz off of it.  ]

The epi...same deal.  Didn't work and had horrible complications for me.

I did find some relief in Fentanyl.  Not really pain relief, but it helped me relax so I could deal better with the pain.  Unfortunately, that requires an IV and my hospital doesn't routinely put IVs in.  So, when I REALLY wanted it, I had a long wait for it because I'm a hard stick when I'm not writhing in pain.  I never got it in time with my 2nd.  

With my 3rd, I just didn't bother even asking for any of it.  

I would recommend Fentanyl.  I had 3 doses all within about an hour of DD1 being born and she was born alert, had great apgars, BFed right away.  It won't cure your pain, but it will relax you and that makes a HUGE difference.  It's also fast acting - good for the baby, not so great for you since it wears off pretty fast! 

The others...meh....not worth it IMO.  Nubain is a shot in the ass and I got nothing out of it.  Epi....my experience was horrible.  Horrible enough to make me never, ever get one again.  And, I REALLY wanted something to make that pain stop.  It just wasn't worth the complications I had and it wasn't worth being poked with an IV for nothing for the Fentanyl last time.  If I had the IV in already, I would have been all over it. 

KristensMom314

I have no idea about Nubain, but from personal experience, I LOVED the epi--I was induced, so I waited until I felt any pain.  Then again I was lucky and didn't have a super-long labor.  I hope whatever you choose gives you the best labor!

MrsG.060708

I wanted to avoid an epi, so I tried nubain first. It didn't do a thing for me, and I requested the epidural. I felt much better after that :-) I was able to hold out to 5-6 cm without any pain meds, but then I couldn't take it anymore and I was exhausted. The epi allowed me to rest.