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Childbirth

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

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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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bonkers20 · 17/10/2011 14:02

With #1 DH pulled the things off the wall, but we didn't realise until afterwards. So, the only benefit I was gaining was having something to focus on. Ended up with an epidural anyway...which def. helped with the pain!

With #2 I only used G&A and again it was something to focus on, it really helped me breathe properly. I don't remember the drunk feeling or sickness nor that it helped with the pain. TBH, I was so internalised at that time (I was pretty close to transition when I got in) that I can't remember. Better than biting of my sister's (birth partner) hand I suppose.

AWimbaWay · 17/10/2011 14:14

It made me vomit, but I think I might have vomited anyway, I throw up very easily! I thought it was great, got me through all 3 of mine. I didn't realise quite how effective it was until I stopped taking it for one contraction, I put that tube back in my mouth pretty sharpish! It made me feel very light headed and out of it but the effects wear off pretty much immediately once you stop breathing it.

breadandhoney · 17/10/2011 14:15

I found it fantastic. As someone said earlier in the thread, it doesn't take the pain away but makes you not care as much. I also found pressing the mask to my face and taking deep breaths gave me something to focus on, taking my mind off the contraction (a bit anyway!)

However, once I got to the transition stage I hit the gas and air hard and hallucinated that I'd given birth! At this time I had the back of the bed raised up and i was on all fours, draped over the back of it. I turned round and yelled at the midwife and demanded to know why she wasn't giving me my baby, only to be told I hadn't had it yet It was at this point she suggested it might be time for an epidural... Considering DD arrived a whole SEVEN HOURS after this (ended up stalling a bit and having to get drugs to kick labour off again), I think the epidural was a good call!

Sorry, I digress - all things considered I would use gas and air again next time. And it didn't make me sick.

TheRealMrsHannigan · 17/10/2011 14:16

I hated it, it made me very sick and any pain relief it gave me lasted all of ten seconds. That said, when I was refused an epidural and told I wasnt allowed pethidine because fo an allergic reaction, I clung to it for dear life when they tried to take it off me!

AWimbaWay · 17/10/2011 14:16

Mandy21, I pushed whilst on the gas and air.

Secondtimelucky · 17/10/2011 14:21

I adored it. Didn't make me feel at all sick. Was high as a kite and the only annoying thing about my home birth for DD2 was that, for various reasons, I didn't get the gas and air until the stitches afterwards (when I made the bloody most of it took some for pain relief).

vess · 17/10/2011 14:29

Made me feel a bit lightheaded but didn't do anything for the pain - other than distract me from it a bit. It's like a placebo, really. Because the thought of no pain relief at all was scary, but I wasn't keen on epidurals.

mamandeouisti · 17/10/2011 14:32

I was a total failure at getting the hang of it for the birth (too much other stuff to concentrate on?)...but it certainly helped for the hour of stitching which followed.

GsyGacheFiend · 17/10/2011 14:44

I hated it and it made me chuck up when having DS, I tried it again with DD and it was the same.
The only way you'll know is if you try it and see.

BestLaidPlans · 17/10/2011 14:48

I agree with the people who said it didn't really touch the pain, but helped to regulate my breathing which made it easier to cope with contractions. It did odd things to my voice, DH said I sounded like Chewbacca. I'd say definitely worth a punt. Good luck!

ronx · 17/10/2011 14:57

Gas and air is marvellous stuff. I had it with both my labours - it makes the pain of chilbirth just about bearable. But I was as high as a kite - the midwife could have handed me a kitten after my DS was born and I would have been just as delighted.

anniemac · 17/10/2011 14:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TerryLean · 17/10/2011 15:00

I'd advise to try it as it can definitely be relaxing, and if you have no other pain relief it might be the only vaguely pleasurable feeling you're going to get until you have the baby!

I found that it did make me gag initially as I kind of panicked (was a bit stressed at that point anyway though) - but the mw talked me through having another go and after a minute or so it was absolutely fine.

I did feel sick and had an anti-vomiting injection at some point, but I think that was because of the pethidine rather than g&a, however it might be worth asking about the injection because it really worked.

lolajane2009 · 17/10/2011 15:01

I loved it. High as a kite and knocked out most of the contractions and the rest of the time zoned me out.

WibblyBibble · 17/10/2011 15:04

Sorry to not be positive, but I found it had pretty much no effect on pain and made me throw up dramatically. It obviously affects different people differently, but if you have severe phobias about vomiting, I think you need to discuss this with your mw and maybe think about other pain relief (I found TENS helpful for the earlier bit though needed epidural both times in the end as had to have forceps [huge babies, me=5'] :().

Katiebeau · 17/10/2011 15:48

I loved it. It was my best friend . Fully induced, failed epidural, cannot have morphine or pethedine. Puked for England after a while but that went away, oh and take too much and you dribble uncontrollably. DH hated the sound of my screams in transition as I breathed out over with the mouth piece still clamped between my teeth.

It definitely is more about removing yourself from the event then pain relief as such, lovely stuff, should be in the pubs...

Oh and within seconds the effect is gone.

Abcinthia · 17/10/2011 15:53

Gas and air made me feel sick and had no effect on the pain. I was a bit upset because it was the only pain relief I could have (fast labour) but I'm glad I tried it.

bilblio · 17/10/2011 16:01

I had it with both DC. DS was born on Friday in the birth pool with just G&A. So the memory is very fresh :o
With DD 4 years ago I had pethidine early on too.

It works brilliantly IMO, so long as you get the hang of timing it. You have to start taking deep breathes as soon as a contraction starts and keep going till it finishes, but it's okay to ease off on the deep breathes. If you start too late it doesn't work, and if you keep going past a contraction it makes you feel sick.

It's a bit weird doing deep breaths at the start when you aren't in pain, especially if you're worried it might make you sick, but if you don't (as I soon remembered) it doesn't work.

With DD I was having regular contractions but wasn't really aware of the start of them because of the pethidine so DH kept an eye on the clock.
With DS my contractions were all over the place most of the time but I could feel my stomach tensing slightly at the top before anything got painful.

MoJangles · 17/10/2011 16:29

Congratulations, bilblio !

Used TENS and G&A through excruciating induced labour. Too fast for anything else even though I begged! I used it right through, including pushing and stitching. Anyone trying to separate me from the G&A would have lost a limb. I'm sure it was doing something but the pain was still bad enough to make me black out a few times. I don't know quite why it was such a crutch, given how much it still hurt, maybe it took the edge off, maybe it gave me something to focus on, maybe lots of things, but I was completely dependent on having it and would have panicked if anyone had taken it away. I echo the others - give it a try. And good luck!

TotallyKerplunked · 17/10/2011 16:31

Hated it, it did nothing for the pain just gave me horrible hallucinations and made me feel out of control and panicky. DH kept forcing putting the mouthpiece back in my mouth as I couldn't have anything else, i'd gone from not far along enough for pain relief to too far for anything other than G&A in minutes. Didn't vom thou.

noyouhavehadawee · 17/10/2011 16:33

i had it with both mine and loved it , it is kind of a drunk feeling but the head spinny bit goes as soon as it comes, helped with my breathing and with my 2nd child i used it lots more as had a water birth - it made me giggle a lot after too as i was still convinced i sounded like darth vader and o probably freaked dh out a tiny bit

noyouhavehadawee · 17/10/2011 16:35

i agree also you need to take big breathes in as soon as you feel a contraction starting off - try not to bite the mouth piece in half also....

bilblio · 17/10/2011 16:46

noyouhavehadawee ahh yes, my front teeth were aching on Saturday. :o

DH says I made a few funny comments through both labours. I just felt like I was in my own intense little bubble.

thefirstMrsDeVeerie · 17/10/2011 16:53

I thought that there were a few people who cannot take G&A because they will react badly to it.

Couldnt you ask to try it out.

rosycheeksandasmile · 17/10/2011 17:07

All it did for me was make my throat sore

I think it might not work for some people?

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