Women who use narcotics for pain relief in labour will vary greatly in their perception of how effective the medication was and how satisfied they were with using it during their labour. A few women will experience extremely good pain relief, while most others will say that it gave them 'some level' of pain relief and / or helped them to feel more calm and relaxed. Some women feel it makes little difference (especially if they had the injection in the later, more intense stages of the labour) and some find the side effects of the narcotic contributed to making their labour a negative experience.
Bearing all this in mind, it is important to have realistic expectations about what pethidine is capable of providing. Pethidine (or any other narcotic) will NOT remove the pain altogether. It is more likely to 'dull' the pain, make it more tolerable or 'take the edge off it'. Some women will describe feeling 'removed from the pain' or 'less anxious' about it, therefore more able to cope with their labour.
If the amount (or dose) of the narcotic medication was increased from the recommended dose, it will generally not relieve the pain more effectively, but simply increase the chances of experiencing more severe side effects such as nausea, vomiting and disorientation. Increasing the dose or giving the injection more regularly is not generally recommended.
Together with the pain relieving effectiveness of these drugs, there are also mental changes that the medication can temporarily induce. For some women these changes are tolerable, or even pleasant. For others they may contribute to them feeling out of control or disconnected from the birth experience. The following are some descriptions that woman have given about how it felt to have pethidine for pain relief.
Floating
Drugged
Dreamy
Dizzy
Calm
Sick (or nauseated)
Pleasant euphoria
Disorientated
Sleepy
Isolated, unable to communicate
Relaxed