By Can pethidine be used in labour?
Childbirth is usually a painful experience. There is a range of options for pain relief in labour including non-medical techniques and medical pain relief options such as nitrous oxide, pethidine and epidural anaesthesia.
Does pethidine affect labour or birth?
Pethidine is an opioid pain-relief medicine that was once widely used in Australia for pain caused by a range of conditions. Pethidine is now less frequently used because newer, safer opioids are available. Pethidine is sometimes to used to reduce labour pain in childbirth.
Can pethidine be given to pregnant woman?
As with all drugs Pethidine Injection should only be given in pregnancy if absolutely necessary. Pethidine can pass into your baby either through your blood (during pregnancy and labour) or through your breast milk. Pethidine Injection may cause breathing problems in newborns.
What stage of labour can you have pethidine?
Pethidine is given during the first stage of labour, when your cervix is opening up from being tightly closed to fully dilated. This is the period before you start pushing. Your midwife may suggest a vaginal examination to see how far your cervix has dilated, before giving you pethidine.
What are the effects of pethidine on the mother and baby?
The main findings were that infants exposed to pethidine had delayed and depressed sucking and rooting behaviour. In addition, a smaller proportion of infants exposed to pethidine started to suckle the breast.
Does pethidine affect baby?
it can make some women feel woozy, sick and forgetful. if pethidine or diamorphine are given too close to the time of delivery, they may affect the baby’s breathing – if this happens, another medicine to reverse the effect will be given. these medicines can interfere with the baby’s first feed.
How good is pethidine?
In a survey of pain relief in childbirth (Chamberlain, 1993) 84% of midwives rated pethidine as very good or good, compared with only 71% of women and 72% of partners.
Which painkiller injection is safe in pregnancy?
Paracetamol – With its excellent safety profile, paracetamol is widely used as the first line pain relief drug treatment throughout pregnancy and during breast feeding. NSAIDS – Where possible women should avoid taking NSAIDs before 30 weeks of pregnancy.
Is pethidine harmful to baby?
As Pethidine is an opiate it will cross the placenta and a small amount will pass through to your baby. This can sometimes make babies sleepy when born if it’s given later on in labour, a reversal drug for your baby would then be required should this happen.
What are the benefits and risks of using pethidine?
Pethidine is used to treat pain, particularly during childbirth. It is usually given by injection and provides pain relief for up to four hours. The most common side-effects are feeling dizzy or sleepy, sweating and feeling sick (nausea).
Is it safe to take pethidine during labour?
While pethidine relieves acute pain for 2–4 hours 2 , there are concerns about its efficacy in labour. There is also the potential for maternal and neonatal adverse effects from pethidine and its active metabolite norpethidine.
Are there any side effects to taking pethidine?
Pethidine provides only limited relief from labour pain. It doesn’t cut out pain altogether. It may make you feel spaced out and less in control of your labour. One woman in three finds opioid drugs such as pethidine unpleasant, and the side-effects may make it more difficult for you to cope…
Are there any side effects of pethidine in breastmilk?
Other potential side effects for the woman in labour include difficulty passing urine, dry mouth, hallucinations, respiratory depression, low blood pressure and allergic reaction . There are no advantages to the baby if the mother has pethidine. Pethidine is known to cross the placenta and is present in breastmilk.
What’s the half life of pethidine in the fetus?
Norpethidine is the active metabolite of pethidine. It accumulates in both the mother and fetus with a half-life of 20.5 hours and is thought to be responsible for adverse neonatal effects 14 including respiratory depression.