Gas and air - did it work for you?

[Eeeeeeeek]

I am due to have baby#2 soon and although I used gas and air for a short time during my first labour, I didn't find it hugely helpful, but I'm unsure if I used it properly?

I would like to use gas and air again this time, preferably combined with water, and just wondered how effective you all found it during labour? Also did you use it during the pushing stage and if so, how does it work, as you're meant to breathe it through for the whole contraction aren't you?

Thanks in advance

TwelveLeggedWalk - what did the MW tell you to do that worked so well???

Many thanks x

You need to firstly not panic (very hard when it's ur first as I was Urm well very panicky cried for my mum and everything ) u need to breathe it in really deep and hard as soon as you feel a contraction coming on and until it peaks then as it wears of stop and allow yourself to come round again . Makes you feel pretty drunk and it also made the time go v v fast for me ! And I kept repeating myself I knew i was but still kept doing it ? V strange ? Guess that's how it works helps you kinda focus on something else ! I was so relaxed on it the midwife left me and dp to it until he saw baby's head and decided to press for help

For my first labour, it really did nothing at all but with my second it was very useful.
It did not kill the pain but made me so high, I didn't care.
I actually had to start rationing it because it was making me so out of it, so I said I would only use it for one contraction in three but that actually became one contraction in four.
By the time it came to pushing, I did not use it at all, didn't feel the need.

Didn't work for me in labour but that's because I wasn't using it properly - ie not breathing deeply enough. Next day for taking the packing out, it was magic. Made the consultant's bow tie spin round too