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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Gas and air - what's it like?

233 replies

mamatomanygirls · 16/10/2011 16:39

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

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HecateGoddessOfTheNight · 16/10/2011 20:18

Bloody fabulous. They had to wrestle it from me Grin

It doesn't stop it hurting, but you just don't care!

bruffin · 16/10/2011 20:30

It made me very sick on threw first puff so didn't use it after that.

mumblejumble · 16/10/2011 20:45

Gas and air is fantastic, it calms me down and actually stops me from panicking. I feel that it definitely helps with the pain. The sick feeling passes after a while. You should start breathing it in right at the beginning of the contraction to get the full affect during the contraction, and then just as the ctx fades, breath it in again ready for the next one.

Offspring · 17/10/2011 05:42

I had an awful time in labour with DD and it didn't seem to have much impact except to make me feel sick (although that could have also been the pain!). I ended up with an epidural.

I just had DS on Friday and like a previous poster arrived at the hospital already in transition. They offered it to me for pushing but I couldn't get along with it - it didn't make me feel sick but made my mouth really dry and I couldn't stand the feeling. I had 1.5 hours of pushing and tried it for 3 contractions but gave up after that and went without.

They got me to use it for my stitches along with the local and as mentioned above, it was like a lovely floaty sensation and took the edge off when the dr occasionally stitched a spot not covered by the local. The effects wore off almost immediately after I stopped using it but I did have a sore throat from it that hung around for about 24 hours after.

NeedToCreepZZZ · 17/10/2011 06:09

Just remembered one thing about g&a, it made me feel like my voice was a lot lower (and not in a sexy ms lumley way), did anyone else find this or was it my drug induced imagination?

NormaSatansFelcher · 17/10/2011 07:12

Y Y to the deep voice thing creepy

offspring congrats on your DS

I found gas and air great, didn't make me sick, just felt stoned

BullyBeefBadgers · 17/10/2011 07:22

I used gas and air for the whole of my labour. The making you feel sick thing is true in some cases but most often is due to people not using it properly. My mum gave me a tip to using it which helped me get the hang of it in the early stages. She said that as you feel a contraction coming start using the gas and air. Imagine that you are using it to help you run up a hill. Then when you get to the top (the peak of the contraction) you can take away the gas and air and run down the other side on your own. Grin Sounds a bit cheesy, really helped me understand how to use it at first. Gives you a nice fuzzy feeling and really helps make the pain manageable whilst still allowing you to be fully aware of what stage you are at etc, how bad the contractions are etc.

Later on the midwife told me not to take it out at the peak but keep breathing it until the contraction was gone and this added an extra level of pain relief which helped me in transition so that I didn't need anything else. Would highly recommend it - just go nice and cautiously at first and you will be fine. Good luck Smile

Rikalaily · 17/10/2011 08:23

Just ask for an anti-emetic jab before you start on the g&a. I love the stuff, even if it made me feel sick I'd still have it, find it brilliant for the pain although it does make your mouth very dry. I don't find that it makes me high, it just makes everything sound like an echo underwater and time seems to slow down while it's in effect, I'm concentrating so much on what people are saying to worry about the pain which has already eased off before I remember it, lol.

mrsgardener · 17/10/2011 11:58

Used it throughout but didn't feel like it made any difference other than as something to bite down on during the contractions... Probably didn't use it right though, as I have problems with inhaling anything.

Of course it could have had more of an effect than I though, since I managed to get the sex of the baby wrong Grin Although in my defence it was also a waterbirth and the water was very murky.

MyMelody · 17/10/2011 12:15

strange how it has such different effects on different people.

made me throw up and did nothing for the pain, and also weirdly when i was in transition i could not even hold onto it i just had to lie with my face in the pillow, it was like using it was too much of a distraction for me.

pethidine though - now that was lovely stuff! would definitely recommend

Oumasrusks · 17/10/2011 12:17

I used it for DD2 and found it very helpful for pain relief. As others have said, it made me feel disconnected from the pain. I was sick, but I don't know if that was because I was in transition or if it was from the gas and air. I have a phobia of vomiting but the gas and air made me feel less panicky about being sick and it was ok. :o

skeletonfishbonesandlilacs · 17/10/2011 12:17

Thing is you may be sick in labour anyway, regardless of gas & air use, I know I was sick a lot and I had an epidural. I'd rather take the G&A, use it for pain relief. and take my chances.

The other thing about G&A is that labour can sometimes get too "real" it helps on lots of levels, pain and anxiety.

BlueberryPancake · 17/10/2011 12:18

It just didn't work for DS1. I was induced and I don't know if it's because I was panicking or because the contractions were just too strong, but it simply didn't do a thing. Neither did pethidine. Both made me feel quite sick, but having said that I had a high temperature because of a mysterious infection and needed antibiotics during labour as well as other drugs because of the infection.

For DS2, G&A worked a treat.

Splinterbottom · 17/10/2011 12:20

I found it helped, it didn't take the pain away, just somehow disconnected me from it so I didn't care as much.

It also disconnected me from the outside world - I remember the midwife trying to talk to me and ask me questions - it was like having a buzzing fly that you want to bat away - ignored her completely (oops). Good idea if you're having gas and air to have a birth partner who knows enough to answer questions on your behalf.

SnowieBear · 17/10/2011 12:26

Worked for me, didn't make me sick, but couldn't make it work for the pushing stage... when you are pushing, it's impossible to suck at something at the same time, reading BullyBeefBadgers comment makes so much sense now, I wish I had someone to provide me with some instruction at the time!

Give it a go, if it's not for you, you'll quickly find out and you won't be laden with a "Decision" (capital D intended Grin).

lubeybooby · 17/10/2011 12:26

I got the deep voice thing too - like the opposite of helium. It did make me sick and kind of drunken and my voice was still weird when the anaesthetist turned up to do my epidural, he and the midwife were taking the piss because I sounded like a bloke! Bastards!

I think I went too heavy on it though, I think I might have been ok and not sick if I hadn't chugged on it SO much

SooticaTheWitchesCat · 17/10/2011 12:29

It didn't make me feel sick but I had a really sore throat after, I could hardly swallow and my tonsils and the dangly bit at the back (sorry, I don't know what it's called) went all white and swollen Shock

ednurse · 17/10/2011 12:29

Haven't had it for any other reason then trying it out one nightshift with a colleague. We felt like we were over the social club on a Friday night....it was a Friday night but we were just in minor ops dancing to Rihanna on Capital radio station off our heads on gas and air.

It makes you feel light headed, a little dizzy, can make your mouth feel a little numb and slur your words.

LittleMissFlustered · 17/10/2011 12:31

Belting stuff! Well worth a try. You just have to keep your breathing dee and regular. Stupendous stuff. It's like a short effect tranquiliser, you really just cannot be arsed to give a shit if you're taking it right[hgrin]

cantpooinpeace · 17/10/2011 12:33

Best night out I've ever had - for me it was like being the best drunk I've ever been. My neck muscles were sore the next day from clamping down so hard on it though.

bebeballroom · 17/10/2011 12:35

I didn't get to have much, was either 'not at the right stage' Hmm or 'too far along' Hmm

BUT when I did get a small sniff of it it made me feel very lightheaded, much like being ever so slightly drunk. Can't say it took the pain away, but I didn't really care about it anymore IYKWIM?! :o

HayleySexiWeestains · 17/10/2011 12:35

It made me very sick straightaway so I gave up using it and laboured for another 19 hours with nothing, gave up and and had pethidine, threw up violently for hours despite the anti-emetic they gave me. After several more hours had an epidural and was still sick.
Guess what I am trying to say is that some people will be sick in labour regardless.
Give it a go and stop if you don't like it

PessimisticMissPiggy · 17/10/2011 12:37

I vommed. I hated it and only used it early on, despite loving it at the dentist as a child.

TimothyClaypoleLover · 17/10/2011 12:42

I was sick on my first puff of G&A but then I persevered and it was bloody brilliant stuff. The contractions were still painful but the G&A relaxes you (the drunk feeling) and agree that it helps massively with your breathing. OH had a quick puff and couldn't get any effects so maybe you have to breathe it in deeply for a couple of minutes before the drunken feeling kicks in.

LieInsAreRarerThanTigers · 17/10/2011 12:45

No sickness here, and it didn't have a strong effect, but really helped me control my breathing and get into a rhythm for contractions. I expect pressing a button on a TENS machine could have a similar effect, or sitting on a birthball and shifting positions. My second labour was in water and that was so much more effective than gas and air, as it allowed me to get into the perfect position for each contraction and for resting in between. Still used the gas and air but it became secondary to the position-shifting.