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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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OhMyGolly · 17/10/2011 22:41

Is G&A the same thing you have at the dentist as a child? because I remember that stuff smelling stronger and knocking me out cold.

I love G&A , had it twice in my life, when I was about 10 I badly broke my leg, they gave it to me in the ambulance, and that combined with being deeply in shock/adrenaline meant I kept sitting up to wave to people out of the window because that is such a good idea when your leg bends in several places it shouldn't .

Had it for my first birth, did help to relax me I think, was a bit like drinking 5 pints, my voice went all funny, my face felt numb and everything was a bit buzzy and disconnected. It didn't really take the pain away and I did find I was still tensing and curling my toes at the peak of contractions, probably could have been solved by getting my arse out of the bed and changing positions though.

FrozenNorthPole · 17/10/2011 22:43

Horrible. Tried it with DD1 and made me feel awfully ill. Was being induced - eventually took the epidural.

DD2, arrived with her about to crown. They offered me G&A, but it wasn't working. I literally told them where to stick it DD2 arrived 5 minutes later.

After both labours, I felt dreadfully sick. I'm beginning to suspect it's due to two fast, intense labours or due to the syntocinon injection for managed 3rd stage in both cases. Either way, if there's a DC3 it's physiological all the way.

DrCoconut · 17/10/2011 22:45

I had G+A with both DS's. With DS2 it was all I had except for local anaesthetic in my lady bits when he got stuck and needed to be helped out. I was too quick in labour to have anything else rather than it being a choice but in the end I liked the fact that I was myself again so fast after stopping it. At first they tried to take it off me to make me push harder but once the OB came in they just left me to it! Didn't really stop until the stitching was finished . It's good stuff.

OhMyGolly · 17/10/2011 22:47

Oh a funny thing actually, the Dr basically had her hand up my mary, so I was sucking away with wild abandon, she then said "I can't reach his head". I was very confused, and was like "Have I had a boy, where is he?" she did explain I hadn't had the baby and she had no idea of the sex, I was still a bit confused awhile later, although the affects had worn off.

I was shortly after presented a baby girl via emcs .

SurprisEs · 17/10/2011 22:51

I had G+A and was sick. It's suppose to stop once you've taken a few breaths and get used to it but I couldn't bring myself to putting it back in my mouth.

Had pethidine, useless to me but some people swear by it.
Back to back labour so it may be why nothing felt helpful.

Will try G+A again this time. It may be different this time. Who knows?

lilyj2010 · 17/10/2011 23:11

I had heard brilliant reports on gas and air but when i had my 1st child 14 months ago the nurse tried to shove it down my throat and i wasnt having it. It made me light headed and nauseous, i went to jump out of bed with a contraction and the student and my partner had to grab me, i just went down lol! I was waiting patiently on the epidural but the thran ole nurse i had wudnt listen to me and kept telling me i was in early labour, next thing i had to push and dd born. 2 b honest, was extremly glad i didnt get my epidural then as i was able 2 jump out of bed once daughter fed and get myself washed whilst they weighed dd.

backonthedecaff · 17/10/2011 23:35

Oh, lovely, lovely gas n air! Don't know if it takes the pain away as I haven't attempted giving birth without it but it's oh so fab in the earlier stages. And the mouthpiece gives you something to bite on other than your partner's arm. I get quite blissed out just thinking about it. Certainly beats pethidine, which is the devil's drug and should be avoided at all, I repeat, ALL costs; imho, obviously :o

threefeethighandrising · 18/10/2011 00:11

I had G&A. Did it help with the pain? I can't say, I think it might have taken the edge off it a bit. The epidural didn't work for me (they tried to give it to me 5 times) and it was very painful. I was high as a kite though. Was that a good thing? I really don't know. I did think it was helping at the time.

gallicgirl · 18/10/2011 00:13

I found it a huge help. I used a TENS machine for the first few hours then had G&A for the last 4 or so.

I don't think it made me nauseous but it was hard to tell as I vommed with every contraction until my stomach was empty and that was well before we got the G&A out. I ate nothing all day and we'd bought loads of yummy wine gums too.

Ripeberry · 18/10/2011 00:16

Felt like you had a whole bottle of wine in about 10 mins flat. Did not make me sick and I managed two births with it

BecJackMissR · 18/10/2011 00:21

I had the gas with my DS, and it made me sick.

lionsgorawr · 18/10/2011 01:39

loved gas and air, made me feel really drunk and really helped me deal with the pain...apparently I sounded a lot like darth vader when i was breathing it in though...

emmyloo2 · 18/10/2011 03:51

I had it. Didn't make me feel sick but didn't do anything to stop the pain. It just makes you a bit out of it so you are taken away from the pain if you know what I mean. Plus it gave me focus for the breathing through the contractions which really helped.

Sibble · 18/10/2011 05:06

Made me feel very sick and didn't like the feeling. I had it with ds1 and refused with ds2. Still vomited with both labours.

IvaNighSpare · 18/10/2011 06:42

With first labour it may me feel very sick early on so I gave up on it.
Second time around, I though I'd give it another try and it was a-maz-ing!!!
Although DH said it loosened my inhibitions a tad too much, and I was cracking inappropriate jokes and being very sweary. To the extent that when the midwives suggested they took the G&A away I emitted a very loud and heartfelt "FUCK OFF!!!"

So, I reckon it depends on the labour, so it may be worth giving it another shot!

FearfulYank · 18/10/2011 07:15

Man...after hearing some of the stories on this thread I'm sad we don't have gas and air here! :)

Shaz2011 · 18/10/2011 07:29

I had gas & air ds2 & it made me feel sick but I was having loads ds1 I had no pain relief so it's down to your choice I would have it there just in case but I only used it cos they didn't want me to push so I had to bite something lol good luck on what ever u choose

Robotindisguise · 18/10/2011 07:56

It didn't make me sick. In fact it didn't do much.

I did find the TENS machine very helpful though, would you consider that?

nomoreheels · 18/10/2011 08:00

For me, pain relief was all a bit of a scam - g&a helped a little in the earlier stages of labour, but it did sweet FA later on - and I wasn't allowed any in the final stages anyhow. I had a shot of diamorphine too, and again that helped a little in the middle stage but certainly didn't help with transition, pushing and worst of all, crowning!

I begged for an epidural, but the one anaesthetist (and why there was only one in a hospital of that size, I have no idea) was in theatre. By the time they were available, I was too far gone to sit still for it.

I was allowed the g&a again for 3rd stage and then 1.5 hours of stitching, and it didn't help much then either.

acaseofyou · 18/10/2011 08:43

I've just had my first and had gas and air the whole way through. Agree that it really helped control my breathing. At the beginning when the pain wasn't too bad it made me feel dizzy and odd, but as the pain got worse it helped me feel disconnected enough to cope with it.

I'd definitely go for it again. And it was brilliant during stitches.

LaWeasel · 18/10/2011 08:46

It was fine! I liked it had it and had it the whole way through and didn't need anything more, made me feel sleepy though. (possibly the aftereffects of the pethidine I'd had earlier)

SausageSmuggler · 18/10/2011 09:50

I had it but found it didn't do anything for the pain. I carried on using it though because it was something to distract me apart from anything. I ended up having an epidural and by that point I was falling asleep in between the contractions. I don't think I would've done very well pushing like that. I was sick but not til DS had been delivered - according to the mw though it was to do with the shock of giving birth rather than the g&a.

Vix286 · 18/10/2011 10:12

Loved it!

Think it works best if you breathe really deeply and slowly, I was addicted to it and they had to wrestle it off me at the end, it didn't make me sick luckily as I hate being sick too.

I started on it at 4cm and used it all the way through to the stitches.

It was like being drunk, I got as mouthy as I do when drunk when bastard male doctor was stitching me up and told me to stop moving. DH was quite embarrassed!

IvaNighSpare · 18/10/2011 10:59

Vix you're obviously my kinda gal!!

pist · 18/10/2011 11:09

Loved it, loved it loved it!!!
Nice chilled floaty feeling - no sickness
Had 2 babies with Gas/air and tens - Had the gas as soon as I could and clung on to it for as long as I could afterwards - almost enjoyed being stitched up - However if you do end up having stiches, make sure you get a local aenasthetic too (I think they give this to you automatically) and ask them to top it up if you can feel the slightest, as it takes a little while to work -And who would want to spoil their little gas/air chilling session with pain???!!!! - After all, It will be a while before you'll be able to relax like that again [hwink]

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