Sterile water injections

[melyndie]

Everyone's input has been so helpful! I talked to my midwife yesterday, and she said 9 times out of 10 that she has given the injections, they have really helped the laboring mothers, but there is that 10% where it doesn't help and is not worth it. I am leaning toward not doing them, but if I have back labor again (which landed me with a hospital transfer and epi last time) I may be willing to try them. Maybe. I guess I will have to decide at the moment. I sure don't want to experience the same thing that you have all described though, but I also really want to stay out of the hospital if at all possible...

[marliah]

Hopefully you wont have back labor this time, I have had it with some of mine and not had it with others. So I'm hoping you just don't have to deal with it this time

[Kelly3139]

Originally Posted by melyndie Everyone's input has been so helpful! I talked to my midwife yesterday, and she said 9 times out of 10 that she has given the injections, they have really helped the laboring mothers, but there is that 10% where it doesn't help and is not worth it. I am leaning toward not doing them, but if I have back labor again (which landed me with a hospital transfer and epi last time) I may be willing to try them. Maybe. I guess I will have to decide at the moment. I sure don't want to experience the same thing that you have all described though, but I also really want to stay out of the hospital if at all possible...

With all that I went through I can easily say, it was extremely painful but only during the injection. I would choose to try it again before resorting to an epi. If you can handle the pain of the injection then you can handle the pain of the rest of the labor! It is literally 60 seconds at most of the worst pain in my life, but that is little consequence for the amazing med-free birth experience that followed.

[melyndie]

Originally Posted by Kelly3139 With all that I went through I can easily say, it was extremely painful but only during the injection. I would choose to try it again before resorting to an epi. If you can handle the pain of the injection then you can handle the pain of the rest of the labor! It is literally 60 seconds at most of the worst pain in my life, but that is little consequence for the amazing med-free birth experience that followed.

Yeah, if it came down to that or epi, I think I would choose to give the water a try. Going for an epi means leaving home (and my dream of a homebirth), being in the car for an hour, likely having to accept interventions I don't want, risking massive tearing again and possibly the threat of a c-section, and having to stay at the hospital, leaving DD with friends, for several days. Plus the cost! Homebirth and doula are both free if we stay home, but we would have to pay around a grand at least if we transferred to the hospital. I know DH would encourage me to go if I needed to and not think about the money (he did the same last time!), but that still would be a sacrifice.

[pharmmama]

I'm not familiar with sterile water injections for back labor, but it makes sense that it would hurt like a MFer. Sterile water is just that, water. When you inject anything that hasn't been adjusted to be isotonic, it causes pain. Sterile water is hypotonic in case anyone cares. Could you get the injections with 0.9% Sodium Chloride (normal saline) instead?

[ecomother]

Originally Posted by pharmmama I'm not familiar with sterile water injections for back labor, but it makes sense that it would hurt like a MFer. Sterile water is just that, water. When you inject anything that hasn't been adjusted to be isotonic, it causes pain. Sterile water is hypotonic in case anyone cares. Could you get the injections with 0.9% Sodium Chloride (normal saline) instead?

EXACTLY! It's like the difference you feel between saline solution and tap water in your eyes...I can only imagine the pain of injecting that!

[Kelly3139]

Originally Posted by pharmmama I'm not familiar with sterile water injections for back labor, but it makes sense that it would hurt like a MFer. Sterile water is just that, water. When you inject anything that hasn't been adjusted to be isotonic, it causes pain. Sterile water is hypotonic in case anyone cares. Could you get the injections with 0.9% Sodium Chloride (normal saline) instead?

In labor my MW told me the solution for the injection, but I don't remember. I considered it "sterile water", but now that you ask I am curious which it was. Because that makes sense! Next appointment I am going to ask, as this time not being in labor I will remember. I will let you know in three weeks

[melyndie]

I wanted to give an after birth update! I ended up having bad back pain during labor, but it wasn't back labor. It was more like an intense burning on the back side of both hips, which often lingered between contractions and did not get relieved in the tub. When I hit transition and felt like I couldn't cope with that pain, my midwife offered the injections, but I was too freaked out by these stories to accept them, and I felt they may not work since my back pain was not in the middle of my back. Instead I asked to have my water broken, and that took away my back pain somehow and moved me to complete and pushing. I am glad I didn't go for the injections as I was able to do without! And I had an AWESOME homebirth waterbirth.

[Kelly3139]

Originally Posted by melyndie I wanted to give an after birth update! I ended up having bad back pain during labor, but it wasn't back labor. It was more like an intense burning on the back side of both hips, which often lingered between contractions and did not get relieved in the tub. When I hit transition and felt like I couldn't cope with that pain, my midwife offered the injections, but I was too freaked out by these stories to accept them, and I felt they may not work since my back pain was not in the middle of my back. Instead I asked to have my water broken, and that took away my back pain somehow and moved me to complete and pushing. I am glad I didn't go for the injections as I was able to do without! And I had an AWESOME homebirth waterbirth.

Congratulations!