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Benadryl during labor?



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 9th 05, 12:02 PM
V.
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Default Benadryl during labor?

This is way premature, but I was thinking about whether using Benadryl
during early labor would be a good way to get some rest while I still can.
I have chronic insomnia, so I'm using Benadryl a couple times a week now to
get to sleep. I can see myself being too excited once contractions start to
get any sleep, and of course that's exactly when you'd want to be getting
some rest! I'm hoping for an intervention-free birth with immed. bf
afterward, so I can see Benadryl having pros/cons. Pro, get some sleep
early on and be rested for the hard part and it's not like taking Demerol or
something. Con, might make the baby sleepy at birth?
Anyone know how long the Benadryl might take to wear off in the baby? I'll
be asking my midwife, but I like getting other opinions/experiences before I
bring up an issue so I know better what to ask about.

Thanks,
Amy


  #2  
Old August 9th 05, 06:29 PM
Ilse Witch
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On Tue, 09 Aug 2005 08:02:56 -0400, V. wrote:

This is way premature, but I was thinking about whether using Benadryl
during early labor would be a good way to get some rest while I still
can.


I don't know if it would be a good idea or not, but I do know that once
labour starts, your hormones will take over control. You may not need any
sleep for 30 hours and you will still be able to have an intervention free
birth. It is truly amazing, but your body is build for it and you will
make up for the lost sleep afterwards.

What would be good to discuss with your doctor is how to get enough sleep
in the months and weeks *prior* to labour, since sleeping gets more and
more uncomfortable. If they can prescribe you a sleeping aid that is safe,
you will be as fit as possible. That is far more efficient than trying to
catch sleep during labour.

From personal experience: I got a pethidine injection (pain killer), and
due to that I drifted off between contractions with DS. I was overwhelmed
by each next contraction and this made it a lot harder to cope with them.

--
--I
mommy to DS (July '02)
mommy to four tiny angels (Oct '03 - Oct '04)
guardian of DH (age classified)
expecting twins (boy/girl) in August
  #3  
Old August 9th 05, 08:57 PM
Sidheag McCormack
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Default

Ilse Witch writes:

I don't know if it would be a good idea or not, but I do know that once
labour starts, your hormones will take over control. You may not need
any sleep for 30 hours and you will still be able to have an
intervention free birth. It is truly amazing, but your body is build for
it and you will make up for the lost sleep afterwards.


Second this. I'm someone who needs my sleep in general, but my pattern went
like:

Day 1: up some time, I forget, maybe 9am
awake till 10pm-ish
midnight-5am, waking every 15m or so for contractions + bathroom trips,
dozing between them
Day 2: 5am up; in labour (to some extent) all day, all the following night,
Day 3: all the following day, till DS was born c7.30pm the following day.
Asleep maybe at 11pm?

IOW in over 2.5 days (2 nights), I had 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep, plus
perhaps another 3-4 hours of sleep in 10 minute chunks. I had problems,
chiefly a very annoying midwife, but tiredness was not one of them!

What would be good to discuss with your doctor is how to get enough
sleep in the months and weeks *prior* to labour, since sleeping gets
more and more uncomfortable. If they can prescribe you a sleeping aid
that is safe, you will be as fit as possible. That is far more efficient
than trying to catch sleep during labour.


Yup.

Another thing that occurs is, have you got a plan for *after* the birth? I
had a feeling that benadryl was not OK for breastfeeding, though I could be
wrong. With any luck, you won't have a problem with insomnia after the
birth, provided you breastfeed: it really does seem to be true that the
breastfeeding hormones released during a feed help you to relax and sleep.
Apparently a breastfeeding mother can reach the deepest level of sleep much
faster than normal, so you get the maximum benefit from the sleep you do
get. Although I couldn't sleep while nursing, as many can, I did notice
that I hardly ever lay awake after the feed was over, even though it
usually takes me quite a while to fall asleep, even if it's the middle of
the night and I'm tired. Of course this works best if you can go straight
from breastfeeding to sleep, without having to move or get cold in between.
Are you planning to cosleep? That makes it easiest of course, but a warm
room sufficiently close to where the baby sleeps would probably also work.

Thing is, if you *do* have a problem going back to sleep after a feed
(whether breastfeeding or articifial feeding) you've then got a problem,
because you don't know when you're going to have to wake up again, which
makes using drugs to sleep tricky. My experience of the sleepiness induced
by antihistamines (of which Benadryl is one isn't it?) is that it makes
waking up a couple of hours after a dose a very unpleasant experience. If
you haven't already worked it out, maybe it's worth thinking about, since
there might be simple things you could do that would help from day 1.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003
  #4  
Old August 9th 05, 09:41 PM
Sidheag McCormack
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Default

FUMOP:

Sidheag McCormack writes:

easiest of course, but a warm room sufficiently close to where the baby
sleeps would probably also work.


this sounds as though down a short hallway is fine, not what I meant to
say, oops! What I meant of course is that if you and the baby are sleeping
in different places, but in the same room, and that room is warm, then
that's probably not too much worse than cosleeping.

Sidheag
  #5  
Old August 9th 05, 10:28 PM
V.
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Default


"Sidheag McCormack" wrote in message
...
Ilse Witch writes:

I don't know if it would be a good idea or not, but I do know that once
labour starts, your hormones will take over control. You may not need
any sleep for 30 hours and you will still be able to have an
intervention free birth. It is truly amazing, but your body is build for
it and you will make up for the lost sleep afterwards.


Second this. I'm someone who needs my sleep in general, but my pattern
went
like:

Day 1: up some time, I forget, maybe 9am
awake till 10pm-ish
midnight-5am, waking every 15m or so for contractions + bathroom trips,
dozing between them
Day 2: 5am up; in labour (to some extent) all day, all the following
night,
Day 3: all the following day, till DS was born c7.30pm the following day.
Asleep maybe at 11pm?

IOW in over 2.5 days (2 nights), I had 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep,
plus
perhaps another 3-4 hours of sleep in 10 minute chunks. I had problems,
chiefly a very annoying midwife, but tiredness was not one of them!

What would be good to discuss with your doctor is how to get enough
sleep in the months and weeks *prior* to labour, since sleeping gets
more and more uncomfortable. If they can prescribe you a sleeping aid
that is safe, you will be as fit as possible. That is far more efficient
than trying to catch sleep during labour.


Yup.

Another thing that occurs is, have you got a plan for *after* the birth? I
had a feeling that benadryl was not OK for breastfeeding, though I could
be
wrong. With any luck, you won't have a problem with insomnia after the
birth, provided you breastfeed: it really does seem to be true that the
breastfeeding hormones released during a feed help you to relax and sleep.
Apparently a breastfeeding mother can reach the deepest level of sleep
much
faster than normal, so you get the maximum benefit from the sleep you do
get. Although I couldn't sleep while nursing, as many can, I did notice
that I hardly ever lay awake after the feed was over, even though it
usually takes me quite a while to fall asleep, even if it's the middle of
the night and I'm tired. Of course this works best if you can go straight
from breastfeeding to sleep, without having to move or get cold in
between.
Are you planning to cosleep? That makes it easiest of course, but a warm
room sufficiently close to where the baby sleeps would probably also work.

Thing is, if you *do* have a problem going back to sleep after a feed
(whether breastfeeding or articifial feeding) you've then got a problem,
because you don't know when you're going to have to wake up again, which
makes using drugs to sleep tricky. My experience of the sleepiness induced
by antihistamines (of which Benadryl is one isn't it?) is that it makes
waking up a couple of hours after a dose a very unpleasant experience. If
you haven't already worked it out, maybe it's worth thinking about, since
there might be simple things you could do that would help from day 1.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003


Well, according to my mother, insomnia magically disappears when you are
tending to an infant! Actually, I suspect this will be true since I can
sleep (usually) when truly exhausted. The problem normally is turning my
thoughts off enough to get to sleep *before* I'm exhausted. That's my
primary hope, since I already do all the "sleep hygiene" things you are
supposed to.
If I still have insomnia, hopefully it will only be during the time I have
off from work? Actually, as it is I only take meds 1-2X/wk (pre-preg) and
just suffer the rest of the time, so once we start using EBM I can put DH on
baby duty on the weekends so I can sleep.
Of course, I'm really hoping mom is right and once I've got the baby I'll be
able to sleep through anything!

Amy


  #6  
Old August 10th 05, 09:41 AM
Ilse Witch
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Default

On Tue, 09 Aug 2005 21:57:32 +0100, Sidheag McCormack wrote:

...it really does seem to be true that the breastfeeding hormones
released during a feed help you to relax and sleep. Apparently a
breastfeeding mother can reach the deepest level of sleep much faster
than normal, so you get the maximum benefit from the sleep you do get.


That was definitely true in my case. Both DS and myself would fall asleep
after nursing, no matter where we were. Nursing releases a hormone that
helps you relax and fall asleep (forgot which one it was, oxytocine or
serotonine).

I would nurse DS while lying down during the first weeks, so we could both
sleep comfortably. I'd put the changing pillow next to my own, so I only
needed to move him by a foot to make sure he would be sleeping in a safe
place, and we could both drift off.

--
--I
mommy to DS (July '02)
mommy to four tiny angels (Oct '03 - Oct '04)
guardian of DH (age classified)
expecting twins (boy/girl) in August
  #7  
Old August 10th 05, 12:32 PM
Mum of Two
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Posts: n/a
Default

"V." wrote in message
...

Well, according to my mother, insomnia magically disappears when you are
tending to an infant!


It sure does! It's amazing how quickly you can get to sleep when you know
you have to be awake again in another 1 1/2 hours. Unfortunately, the
insomnia rears its ugly head again when your one-year-old decides she no
longer wants to sleep through the night, and you'll lay awake just listening
for that first grizzle. Did I say that already?
I'd swap Miss One for your soon-to-be newborn, but she was awww so cute when
I fed her just before and fell asleep in my arms, after being a brat all
evening. Can I take a raincheck?


--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/


  #8  
Old August 10th 05, 05:50 PM
Anne Rogers
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Well, according to my mother, insomnia magically disappears when you are
tending to an infant! Actually, I suspect this will be true since I can
sleep (usually) when truly exhausted. The problem normally is turning my
thoughts off enough to get to sleep *before* I'm exhausted. That's my
primary hope, since I already do all the "sleep hygiene" things you are
supposed to.


Sadly not true, I've never been the worlds best sleeper, but other than
very briefly about 8 years ago had never used a sleep aid, either
antihistamine or tranquilliser or stronger, but insomnia from about 4
weeks after the birth of my 1st was the first sign of postnatal
depression, which now 8 weeks after the birth of my 2nd, makes me panic
that it's coming it back if ever I take more than half an hour to go to
sleep.

My experiences with Benadryl is that it only works if you actually put
yourself in a position to go to sleep, which meant if labour started
slowly and it was bed time it should work, but if things suddenly
kicked off it wouldn't be a problem. But medically I've no idea whether
it would be safe, so you really should talk things over with a doctor
and if your care providers do not take on board what you feel your
needs are it might be worth a one of discussion with a psychiatrist or
psychotherapist.

Sidheag, as far as I know benadryl is ok for breastfeeding, my
psychiatrist suggested it and he knew I was breastfeeding and I've
consumed reasonable amounts of it whilst continuing to breastfeed. From
what I can tell from the Hales website, most sleep drugs and
tranquillisers are ok as they have such short half lives, though the
BNF will say you shouldn't take them.

What Ilse says about pethidine is a common reaction, which is why I
would definitely not react postively to the use of other types of sleep
inducing drugs, even if a doctor says they were safe. For my first I
didn't want to use pethidine in labour because I didn't know what
effect it would have on me and it didn't seem sensible to try a drug
I'd never had before at such an intense time when I needed to be
functioning. I've now had pethidine both IM and IV and neither way
would cause me to doze of between contractions, for some reason though
I get woozy as most people do with opiates, they seem to have the
opposite effect and keep me awake.

If I still have insomnia, hopefully it will only be during the time I have
off from work? Actually, as it is I only take meds 1-2X/wk (pre-preg) and
just suffer the rest of the time, so once we start using EBM I can put DH on
baby duty on the weekends so I can sleep.


Could cause supply difficulties, it's best to keep up the regular
pattern of feeding, but if you really need to sleep DH still goes on
baby duty for all except the feeds, which you do lieing down,
supervised by DH, so he can take the baby away and stop you from
rolling on to it or anything, even if you cosleep, it's just not safe
when you have drugs in your system. We had to do this last night (my
current insomnia is due to a back injury), so I fed Ada, then took
painkillers and a sleeping pill and bathed and went to bed, DH brought
her to me in the middle of the night, kept an eye on us and took her
away again (I'd gone to bed with lieing on my side with my top hitched
up to make things as easy as possible!), by the time she next woke up
it was 10 hours since I'd taken anything.

So you see anyone? I've been told that bad sleep is a high risk factor
for postnatal depression and it's definititely better to spot it sooner
rather than later.

Anne

  #9  
Old August 11th 05, 05:10 AM
V.
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"Anne Rogers" wrote in message

So you see anyone? I've been told that bad sleep is a high risk factor
for postnatal depression and it's definititely better to spot it sooner
rather than later.

Anne


I'm definitely concerned about PPD, given a strong family history of mood
disorders. I've been diagnosed with depression and anxiety in the past, but
antidepressants never really did much (hinting that maybe my symptoms
weren't primarily depression). Finally, one Dr. suggested that maybe
depression isn't causing insomnia, but insomnia is causing depression! Sure
enough, I started taking Ambien when needed and my mood got much much
better!
On one hand, I wonder if I'm better prepared to deal with typical PPD since
I've lived the better part of my life with depression and know how to be
functional anyway.
OTOH, I'm concerned that my risk factors put me at risk of post-partum
psychosis, which I don't have coping skills for. I plan to inform my
midwife to be extra alert, and DH is on the ball.

I've done cognitive therapy, and in fact am a mental health provider, so I
sort of have those skills down. It's when they don't work or I need an
extra boost that I'd need to look to medication. During all my treatment
I've never bought an SAD light, so I think that would be my first try
(winter in Maine will get anyone), plus it's safe for bf. (right? it's just
light, so it must be!)

Of course, I could just take vitamins, exercise, and become a Scientologist!
No PPD then! I think it significant that Tom became a father through
adoption....he never even went through sympathy pregnancy!



 




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