Gas and air - what's it like?

[mamatomanygirls]

Hi, I am due to give birth to no.4 in 7 weeks.

This time I would really like to try and avoid an epidural for various reasons. However I've always been scared of gas and air as I have a complete horror of vomiting or even feeling sick and I've heard it can make you nauseous.

What is it like? Does it really help with the pain? Does it make you feel sick and lightheaded too?

Thanks in advance.x

I had it at the pushing stage and it was brilliant. The midwife told me to breath deeply and steadily in and out to stop it making me sick. Afterwards she said that it is usually if you breath in and out very quickly with very shallow breaths that you start to feel sick. I found it great - although I did have a very odd uninhibited conversation with the nice doctor stiching me up afterwards!
Like everyone else said try it and if its not for you the effects wear off immediately.

My labour was so fast that I could only have G&A - no time for anything else to take effect! (2nd baby btw) I have to say it was fabulous for me. As long as you're not having back labour and getting a little break between contractions and you can feel the contractions building, it seems to work quite well. Just make sure the midwife tells you exactly how to use it because I wasn't breathing it in correctly and the amazing MW I had told me exactly how to breath so it would have the best effect and I tried for a few contractions until it was working properly. It seemed to work best for me when I took a big, fairly quick deep breath in through my mouth, breathed out, breathed it in again quick and deep until the pain kind of became bearable and then stopped using it when the contraction wore off. Obviously at the pushing stage I was pretty much on the G&A the whole time apart from taking it out to do the final push.

Oh yeh, and I needed it for the stitches too. They were laughing and asked me if I wanted to take it home with me and apparently I said "yeeeeeeeaaaaah.... is that okaaaaaayyyyy?????" har har. I was probably serious at that point.

Also, they gave me a Zantac or something like that before I started on the G&A?!? Not sure if that is to settle your stomach??? I wasn't nauseous at all but as mentioned before that might have something to do with breathing deeply and properly. I was a bit sick with my first labour but I realise now I wasn't breathing the G&A in properly and it didn't really work for me that time cos I had "back labour" since LO was back to back with me.

Gas and air was completely pointless. It had zero effect for the pain. I liked the mouthpiece as something to bite and scream in.

Having said that, if your labours aren't that painful it 'might' help. I used it for stitches afterwards and felt like it was helping then, but that was obviously nowhere near as painful as labour.

hth

I gave birth last month and it was invaluable IMO.

Congratulations LDNmummy! I didnt know.

Hi people , I'm due 20th Feb and have really bad anxiety and just wonder if anyone has any information to help me really not get so stressed and worried and has advice ??x

Natalie, why not start your own thread? This is a very old one, which doesn't necessarily cover your concerns.

I hope your pregnancy and birth goes well.

I thought it would be better than it was. It didn't make me at all sick though and was quite comforting.