Nubain During Labor: Risks, Side Effects & Effects on Baby | Expert Advice

Question
Hi.
I can't seem to get a straight answer from my caregiver. I'm trying to decide what pain relief to use during labor. What are the side effects of Nubain, and how long does it take to cross over to the baby, and what are the effects on the baby?
Thank you so much for your time.

Answer
Dear Anon,

Drugs are classified into risk categories for women who are pregnant. There are five categories - A,B,C,D, and X (from least to highest risk). Nubain appears to be a FDA Pregnancy Risk Category B drug. This means that there have been no adequate and well controlled studies done on pregnant women, and studies on animals in reproduction do not indicate risk to the fetus. Other information includes:
-Not teratogenic in animals.
-Crosses human placenta.
-No adequate data in 1st trimester of human pregnancy, but no association with congenital anomalies has been reported.
-Chronic use of the drug in pregnancy can cause neonatal withdrawal.
-Use of Nubain in labor may cause fetal distress, sinusoidal fetal heart rate pattern with variable decelerations, neonatal respiratory depression (however, these are monitored for and Nubain is a medication that is fairly commonly given as an option in labor because of it's lower risk category than many other pain medications)

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and a blessed delivery.

Brenda